On Food and Cooking

cabbage family are called glucosinolates.
They differ from the onion precursors in
containing not only sulfur, but also nitrogen,
so they and their immediate flavor products,
mainly the isothiocyanates, have distinctive
qualities. Some of the flavor precursors and
products are very bitter, and some have
significant effects on our metabolism.
Particular isothiocyanates interfere with the
proper function of the thyroid gland and can
cause it to enlarge if the diet is poor in iodine.
But others help protect against the
development of cancer by fine-tuning our
system for disposing of foreign chemicals.
This is the case for substances in broccoli and
broccoli sprouts.
A given vegetable will contain a number of
different precursor glucosinolates, and the
combinations are characteristic. This is why
cabbage, brussels sprouts, broccoli, and
mustard greens have similar but distinctive
flavors. The chemical defensive system is