People are just realising how tenderstem broccoli got its name – and they’re saying ‘I feel lied to’
SWEET and with a slightly nutty taste, tenderstem broccoli is a scrumptious way to add more greens to your diet, whether it's in a stir-fry or simply roasted.
But do you know where the name comes from? Well, TikTok users have only just found out - and they're minds are blown.
According to one woman, Emma Flicc, the long-stemmed broccoli ''is not the breed of the broccoli''.
''You know how you have like Granny Smith apples [...] or the sweet potato is a breed of a potato, all of that,'' she said in the video.
Much to the shock of Emma - and thousands of other foodies on the platform - turns out, tenderstem broccoli ''is a brand'' and ''a trademark''.
Totally mind-blown, Emma, who now lives in Dubai, UAE, then decided to check this for herself and bought a packet of the popular nutrient-packed vegetable.
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Upon inspecting the packaging, the shopper discovered that what she had heard was indeed true.
Proving her point in the video, Emma was pointing at the word ''Tenderstem'' at the top of the clear broccoli package.
''And what does it have after the tenderstem? You see that there? That is an ''R'','' she said, zooming into the tiny ® symbol.
The mini ''R'' is a typographic symbol that provides notice that the preceding word or symbol is a trademark or a service mark that had been registered with a national trademark office.
A trademark is a symbol, word, or words legally registered or established by use as representing a company, product or service.
''So, tenderstem broccoli is not the breed of broccoli - it's the brand of the broccoli.''
In the video, which has since been viewed close to 310k times, Emma went on the explain that the technical term used for this type of broccoli is long-stem broccoli - or broccolini.
The clip, posted on Emma's TikTok page, has taken the internet by storm, leaving hundreds just as stunned as the young woman.
One wrote: ''Yes you’re right! tenderstem broccoli is just a trademark version of broccolini.''
Someone else was totally baffled, sharing their initial guesses as for the origins behind the name.
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''Wait what….? I thought it meant young broccoli! As in tender.''
''I buy tenderstem literally every other day n I never noticed this,'' a fellow foodie chimed in.
''Broccolini sounds FAR better,'' another viewer thought, as people admitted they felt ''lied to''.
What's more, according to a few TikTok users, sweet potato is, in fact, not ''a breed of potato''.
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''Even though both the potato and sweet potato originated from Central and South America, they are actually not related,'' reported Jacksonville.
''They come from different families, with the potato coming from the nightshade and the sweet potato from the morning glory family.''