The king of cauliflowers

IT MAY challenge the spirit to think of cauliflower as anything but an overrated, ungainly plant. But in the craggy land between Ramallah and Jerusalem, there is one variety of that plain vegetable that invariably attracts a crazed following at this time of year.

Every winter stands manned by farmers pop up along most of the West Bank’s winding roads, with proud growers displaying vivid yellow bouquets wreathed in green roughage. Forget the white vegetable that, when boiled, resembles a brain and releases a gassy aroma redolent of cheap cafeterias. This is zahara baladi, an ancient local cultivar that takes a full year to grow and is in season for just a few weeks. The plant has a nice, mustardy hue; the flavour is well-rounded, sweet and earthy and the texture irresistibly creamy.