Brassicae family.

Etymology
Ancient variety that was grown exclusively around Rome (hence its name).

Romanesco didn't make its appearance in international markets until the early 1990s. It's actually an ancient variety that was grown exclusively around Rome (hence its name) until Dutch researchers decided to experiment with growing it and improving the strain.

It is sometimes called Romanesco broccoli or Romanesco cauliflower in North America, Romanesco cabbage in France and broccolo Romanesco in Italy... all the name-calling is indicative of the confusion and difficulty surrounding the classification of this strikingly shaped and strikingly delicious vegetable.

At first glance, its pyramidal, fractal buds set in spirals, shaped like a peaked cap, make it look more like an alien artifact than a vegetable. But vegetable it is, pale green in color, deliciously nutty in flavor and with all the nutritional benefits of its extremely close cousins, broccoli and cauliflower.