Would you eat a Kalette? (Medium)

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. Im Neil.

Sam

And Im Sam.

Neil

‘’ ��’, ‘’CauliShoots��’, and ‘’�Tenderstems��’… Can you guess what they are, Sam?

Sam

Well, they sound like the names of groups to me!

Neil

Yes, good guess, but in fact the truth is even stranger  � theyre varieties vegetable being grown in the UK by a new generation of fruit and veg growers. Forget traditional carrots, leeks potatoes - vegetables today are getting a modern makeover thanks to breeding methods which mix two different plants to something completely new, known as a hybrid.

Sam

The hybrid, Kalette, for example is a mix between and a Brussel sprout.

Neil

Tenderstems are a mix of traditional broccoli with a type of Chinese kale.

Sam

And CauliShoots are small green stems with mini cauliflower heads shooting out the side. These exciting new varieties, look very different from traditional vegetables, are increasingly popular on farms, in shops and in restaurants across the UK. this programme, well hear all about these new vegetables and the people who grow, cook and eat them. And, usual, well be learning some new vocabulary as well.

Neil

Sounds good, Sam! But first I have a for you. One of the first hybrids on sale in the UK was named, Cotton Candy, because of its , caramel flavour. But is Cotton Candy:

a) a cherry?

b) a strawberry? or

c) a grape?

Sam

, if its sweet, Ill guess its a strawberry.

Neil

OK, well, well reveal the answer later in the . The Kalettes which Sam mentioned earlier, were introduced in the British market in 2010 under the name, ‘Flower Sprouts’. were advertised as a healthy vegetable that could be cooked or eaten raw and became extremely popular.

Neil

inventor of the Kalette is Jamie Claxton, one of the UKs top seed producers and head of plant breeding , Tozer Seeds. Heres Jamie chatting with, Leyla Kazim, presenter of BBC Radio 4’s, The Food Programme.

Leyla Kazim

so how did the idea of the Kalette even come about in the first place?

Jamie Claxton

We quite a lot of blue-sky breeding where we just try wacky stuff and see what happens.

Leyla Kazim

you looking at sprout and a kale going, ‘I could do something exciting with this’.

Jamie Claxton

We looking at the whole of the brassica family, those are all brassica oleracea - Brussels sprouts, kales, cauliflowers, and thinking how… Obviously we knew they would cross pollinate easily and produce unusual veg, and we were just kind thinking we need to create something that's more modern, you know, Brussels sprouts and kales are very traditional… Throw few things in together in a mixing pot thing and see what comes out.

Neil

Jamie says Kalettes the result of blue-sky breeding. This phrase comes from another expression, blue-sky thinking, which means using your imagination to to come up with completely new and original ideas.

Sam

Some of Jamies plants were wacky - unusual a funny or surprising way, but this was all part of the fun of breeding and growing new vegetables. threw his ideas into the mixing pot  � a place where different ideas mingle together to create something new.

Neil

Hybrid vegetables add exciting new colours and tastes to traditional veg, such as the deep purple leaves of kale, or the sweet nutty flavour of a CauliShoot. As a result, they have become fashionable with many British , including Jack Stein, son of TV chef, Rick, who runs a restaurant in the seaside town of Padstow in .

Sam

Heres presenter of BBC Radio 4’s, The Food Programme, Leyla Kazim, again, talking to Jack about what a great new vegetable.

Leyla Kazim

When youre looking at new varieties of veg, are there any particular that youre looking for that will help in the kitchen?

Jack Stein

I mean, obviously it's gonna be to taste really, and it's gonna be down to what it looks like on the plates. The colour, the , the taste, all these things are really important, but I think novelty and things like the Kalettes were great. mean, they were originally called ‘Flower Sprouts’.

Neil

Jack names two features of great hybrid veg. First, theres texture  � the way something feels when you touch it…

Sam

And second, novelty  � the fact that is new and unusual. Added to the surprising way many new varieties look, and of course their great taste, vegetables have provided a welcome new addition to traditional British cooking.

Neil

And dont forget the unusual names , Sam, like the ‘Cotton Candy’ fruit I asked you about in my question.

Sam

Yes, I guessed Cotton were a new variety of strawberry. Was I right?

Neil

You were wrong Im afraid, Sam. In fact, Candy is a variety of grape, so called because theyre very sweet and taste like youve been to the . OK, lets recap the vocabulary weve learned from this programme about new vegetable hybrids  � plants which have been by mixing two different plants together.

Sam

Blue-sky thinking involves using your imagination to try and think up ideas.

Neil

Something which is unusual in a funny or surprising way could be described as wacky.

The mixing pot is a place where different ideas or ingredients get mixed to create something new.

Texture means the way something feels when you touch it.

Sam

And finally, novelty is the quality being new or unusual. If youve enjoyed this programme, why not take the taste test by cooking some hybrid yourself.

Neil

And remember to join us again soon for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at Minute English. Goodbye for now!

Sam

Bye bye!