Broccoli is an edible green plant in the cabbage family whose large flowerhead is eaten as a vegetable.The word broccoli comes from the Italian plural of broccolo, which means "the flowering crest of a cabbage", and is the diminutive form of brocco, meaning "small nail" or "sprout". Broccoli is often boiled or steamed but may be eaten raw.Broccoli is classified in the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea.