Boccoli is usually boiled or steamed, but eaten raw and has become popular as raw vegetable There are three commonly grown types of broccoli. The most familiar is several times called Calabrese in Great Britain and simply "broccoli" in North America. It has large (from 10 to 20 cm) green heads and thick stalks and is named after Calabria in Italy where it was first cultivated. It is a cool season annual crop.Broccoli is commonly boiled or steamed, but may be eaten raw and has become popular as a raw vegetable in hors-d'oeuvre trays. Although boiling has been shown to reduce the levels of suspected anticancer compounds in broccoli, other preparation methods such as steaming, microwaving, and stir-frying have been shown not to reduce the presence of these composts.