The Difference Between Rapini (Broccoli Rabe) and Broccolini

There are a number of broccoli-like green vegetables that are madly confusing. Have you stood in the produce aisle staring at a bunch of long-stemmed greens and wondered if you were looking at “baby” broccoli or something else entirely? While they might look like cousins, Rapini and Broccolini couldn’t be more different when it comes to flavor and lineage. One is a bold and bitter, a relative of the turnip. It’s often found in traditional Italian cooking. The other is a sweet, crunchy hybrid. The world of cruciferous vegetables is bewildering enough without so many similar-looking veggies with similar “broccoli-derived” names. In this article, I will explain the botanical differences between rapini (also known as broccoli rabe) and broccolini and their unique flavors.

rapini (broccoli rabe) and broccolini (baby broccoli) pictured side by side for comparison

Rapini is the Same as Broccoli Rabe

Rapini, (Brassica rapa) is commonly called broccoli rabe in the United States. It is related to broccoli, but is a much closer relative to the turnip. The term ‘broccoli rabe’, in Italian, means “turnip broccoli.” It is related to both broccoli and turnip, because broccoli and turnips are related to one another. They are all of the Brassicaceae or Mustard family, formerly known as Cruciferae, from which we get the term “cruciferous vegetables.” In common terms, this is known as the cabbage family. You might find it spelled broccoli raab, as well, and this may be a more correct way to spell it. Here, I’ve used the more common spelling. It is also called crime di rapa, broccoletti, ruvo kale, and a bunch of other confusing names, including Italian turnip.

Broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower are cultivars of Brassica oleracea. Other cultivars are kale and Brussels sprouts. All of these were derived from a wild cabbage. Each of these would be considered a subspecies of the basic species. On the other hand, rapini, turnip, napa cabbage, and bok choy are all cultivars of Brassica rapa L. Therefore, both broccoli and rapini are of the same family, but they are cultivars of different species, rapini being a cultivar of the same species that brings us the turnip.

Rapini or Broccoli rabe vs. Broccolini

Broccoli rabe/rapini are sometimes confused with broccolini. This mistake may be caused by the similarity of this name to broccoletti, another name for rapini. Unlike broccoli rabe, broccolini is a type of broccoli. It does not come with leaves as well as florets, like broccoli rabe.

Broccolini is a hybrid of Chinese broccoli, Chinese kale, or Gai Lan. It is often called baby broccoli. The name broccolini is, however, a trademarked name of one of its growers, Mann Packing Company in Salitas, California. Originally, it was developed by Sakata Seed. The name of this seed is Asparation (originally named Aspabroc).

Broccoli rabe is very different from Broccolini. Broccoli rabe has a bitter flavor that can vary from one bunch to the next. Sometimes this bitterness is so intense that some find it repulsive, while at other times it can be pleasingly bitter.

Broccolini, however, tastes more like a mix of broccoli and asparagus with less of a cabbage-like sulfur taste, and much more sweetness. It is crunchy/tender and can be used in all sorts of dishes. Even professional chefs mistake it for broccoli rabe (rapini), unfortunately.

Some of the bitterness of broccoli rabe can be reduced by quickly blanching, then sauteing or grilling. Broccolini is good no matter what you choose to do with it, as long as you do not overcook it, the same as most vegetables. It is available year-round, but its peak season is considered to be September through April, the same as broccoli rabe.

Broccoli Rabe’s Connection with Canola Oil

Another confusing issue concerning broccoli rabe is its frequent association with canola oil, otherwise known as rapeseed oil.

Rapeseed oil, which is called canola oil when sold as cooking oil, is extracted from the seeds of brassica napus, otherwise known as oilseed rape or canola. It is the world’s third leading source of vegetable oil, but this oil is also used for industry and for biofuels.

There are also food forms of the plant, which you might recognize. The “tuberous” form is otherwise known as swede or rutabaga, and the leafy form is sometimes known as kale, but also by the less-than-appetizing name of fodder rape. I know the rutabaga from down South, and most of us have heard of kale. It has a special diet attached to it, and it is often listed as a so-called superfood.

Remember, from above, that our broccoli rabe is Brassica rapa. Well, it has been thought, and some texts state, that B. napus was the result of a hybridization between B. rapa and Brassica oleracea, or wild cabbage. This association has caused confusion, especially since the rape part is easy to associate with rapa, rabe, or raab, and the rape spelling is also sometimes used. Not only do some authors on the net think that rapeseed oil comes from broccoli rabe, but that broccoli rabe was developed recently for the oil, and that we eat it just by chance. Neither is true. Rapeseed oil does not come from broccoli rabe. The simplest thing to say is that the two plants are closely related.