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Cauliflower is a vegetable belonging to the Cabbage family (Family Brassicaceae or Cruciferae). Its scientific name is Brassica oleracea var. botrytis.

Cauliflower resembles broccoli, to which it is closely related, except with very densely packed white flower buds. Only the head of the cauliflower is eaten, a part known as the white curd. This stalk is surrounded at the base by thick, green leaves.

Cauliflower is a source of nutritional vitamins and minerals. Cauliflower is most commonly eaten cooked, but it may also be eaten raw or pickled, and is often sold in that form commercially with pickled onions and pickles ( pickled cucumbers ).

According to the United States Department of Agriculture, cauliflower provides 94% of Vitamin C for a PDV based on a 2000 calorie diet. It is also an important source of protein, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, and zinc, and a very good source of dietary fiberDietary fibers are long-chain carbohydrates ( polysaccharides) that are indigestible by the human digestive tract. The value of dietary fiber is that it provides bulk to the bolus moving through the digestive tract. There are two great advantages to this:, vitamin CSee Colleen Fitzpatrick for information about a singer called Vitamin C Vitamin C is a water- soluble vitamin used by the body for several purposes. Most animals can synthesize their own vitamin C, but some animals, including guinea pigs, humans, and othe, vitamin B6, folateFolic acid (the anion form is called folate is a B-complex vitamin (once called vitamin M that is important in preventing neural tube defects (NTDs) in the developing human fetus. Folic acid and pregnancy Since the discovery of the link between insufficie, pantothenic acidPantothenic acid also called vitamin B is an antioxidant water- soluble vitamin needed to break down carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. Pantothenic acid deficiency is very uncommon and more common with age. It is contained in whole grain cereals, legumes,, and potassiumpotassium calcium Na K Rb Full table General Name, Symbol, Numberpotassium, K, 19 Series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1(IA), 4 , s Density, Hardness 856 kg/m3, 0. 4 Appearance silvery white Atomic properties Atomic weight 39. 0983 amu Atomic radius. This food is low in saturated fatA saturated fat is a fat or fatty acid in which there are no double bonds between the carbon atoms of the fatty acid chain. Saturated fats tend to be solid at room temperature. Diets high in saturated fat correlate in some studies with an increased incide, and very low in cholesterolCholesterol is a steroid lipid, found in the cell membranes of all body tissues, and transported in the blood plasma, of all animals. Most cholesterol is produced internally, not dietary in origin. It is present in higher concentrations in tissues which e (less than 1g per kg).

In March 2003, Britain's Department for International Development released a study showing that cauliflower in India had high concentrations of heavy metals such as lead, cadmium and zinc, far exceeding those permissible under Indian law. On September 23, 2002, a 17-year-old boy died after eating a small cauliflower he plucked from a field in Chandigarh, India, although it is believed that his death was due to pesticides that were sprayed on the cauliflower, and not the cauliflower itself.