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In Melbourne, Drink Your Vegetables with the Broccoli Latte

broccoli latte broccolatte

CSIRO photo.

Following the trend of putting powders such as turmeric or matcha in lattes to amp up perceived health benefits, a cafe in Australia recently experimented with a broccoli latte.

Granted, the broccoli latte (or “broccolatte”) test may have been more of a marketing ploy for the powder than an actual menu development initiative, with one customer of Melbourne’s Commonfolks Coffee telling Nine News that the drink tasted like “a bowl of green, milky mush.”

Another customer offered a more conciliatory review, saying, “extra vegetables in my coffee, so, can’t complain.”

The powder itself is a remarkable innovation led by CSIRO, Australia’s federal agency for scientific research, along with the nonprofit horticulture organization Hort Innovation, in which broccoli pieces that would otherwise not make it to market because of imperfect form are being salvaged and turned into a kind of superfood powder. According to CSIRO, every two tablespoons of the powder equals a full serving of nutritious broccoli.

“The powders are an option for farmers who want to produce value-added vegetable ingredients for the lucrative functional food markets,” CSIRO’s Mary Ann Augustin said in an announcement of the Melbourne cafe trial. “The broccoli powder has already been used for the production of extruded snacks with high vegetable content.”

As for the latte, consider it a lesson in what happens when you don’t eat your vegetables like you’re supposed to.

Comment

1 Comment

Christopher Lopez

Two days ago I was eating dinner, broccoli was part of the meal, and when I tasted it, the first thing that I said to my wife: The taste of this piece of broccoli reminds me of the flavors found in japanese green tea”.

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