It is a member of a group of plants called brassicas, which include broccoli, cabbage, and brussels sprouts. They have all been cultivated from wild cabbage.

It grows as an annual plant from seed. The white head is eaten. Cauliflower heads are like broccoli, but there are no flower buds.

Cauliflower was developed in France in the 16th century.

Cauliflower is low in fat, low in starch and high in dietary fibre and vitamin C. It has more of these nutrients in each gram than many other cabbage-type plants. However, boiling reduces the levels of these compounds: half are lost when it is boiled for ten minutes. However, steaming, microwaving, and stir frying, do not destroy the nutrients and so they are the best ways to cook it.