Home Fruits and vegetables What is bimi: a trendy superfood

What is bimi: a trendy superfood

Born in Japan but it is not the result of a long and deeply rooted tradition that has been maintained for a long time as is usual. Rather, it was the result of investigations that led to this vegetable already expanded to various parts of the planet, including our country. Although many do not know what is bimi, You can already find it for a year or less in some supermarkets such as Mercadona. Its properties have captivated the consumer public of products as healthy as this one and in the collective Vegan it is succeeding as one more green alternative. In this article we talk much more about this vegetable so interesting and that he has a known Spanish father.

A hybrid born in a Japanese laboratory

Seeing the success that some considerate ones are having 'superfoods' such as castle, turmeric or even the camel milk, to a company of Japan it occurred to him to experiment with two vegetables. On the one hand, the broccoli traditional and on the other, the kai-lan chinese cabbage. For years, scientists from Sakata seed -a Japanese company specializing in producing seeds for agriculture- they worked to find the perfect formula. That which came from the merger of the two products mentioned to give rise to the bimi. A very healthy hybrid vegetable that looks very similar to the first of its descendants, of the family of the cruciferous. Although, yes, in properties it comes out winning.

what is bimi vegetable vegetable
Photo: Danone.es

So what is bimi, when did it come about and why?

Although it is also called broccolini, bella verde or tenderstem, each and every one of these denominations have been granted by the firms that have been producing this vegetable. Because after its invention, different stakeholders got down to work to make it and market it under their own brand. Since its inception, yes, it has rained enough already, because it was in 1993 when in Japan its popularity started. Sakata seed intended with it to improve both the appearance and the taste of the broccoli normal. So, once that was achieved, it should be noted that the appearance it adopted was peculiar. It has features of the green asparagus with its long stylized stems but also from its vegetal father, from which it inherits the typical superior foil.

Expansion to our country

After its birth, it expanded to United Kingdom, above all, a country that loves broccoli and where it had a great acceptance by the British consumer. It gradually began to be cultivated in some countries of Europe where the weather allowed and came to Spain, of course. Here in the Mediterranean coast peninsular was gaining ground in regions such as Murcia, Granada, Albacete and even some of Tarragona. Its season opens in October and closes in the summer months of June or July. Having been a descendant of the aforementioned green vegetable, he has adapted perfectly to the Spanish countryside with his family member.

Flavor and properties

Now that you know everything about what is bimi, We turn to its sweet and smooth flavor to advance the culinary uses that you can give to this vegetable even suitable for swallowing raw. If you decide to cook it, you just have to follow the instructions on the broccoli, controlling the cooking to enjoy it al dente. The recipes that you can make with this vegetable are endless, since it can be used as an accompaniment in rice, pasta or potatoes. Or, if you prefer, you can eat it just seasoned. You choose how cook a food with many benefits in your healthy diet. Let's see what they are below:

bimi recipe
Recipe with bimi / Photo: veganista.es

The first is that it contains high amounts of vitamin C, even 20% more than broccoli, a father who also surpasses in minerals such as zinc or in folic acid. The same goes for its antioxidants. Not even kalenor the spinach not even asparagus reaches its levels in this regard. In addition, glucosinolates -an agents that protect against cancer cells- and sinigrin, which promotes the elimination of others, live in each stem. On the other hand, its bioactive compounds delay the oxidation process of the cells of our body. And as they culminate, it should be noted that it inhibits the effect of the bacteria responsible for the development of stomach ulcers. 

Since you know what is bimi, we advise you to always include it in your diet in moderation. Of course, you will have to scratch your pocket a little more, since its price is quite higher. 

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