Cauliflower cheese in Cyprus, which historically was a former British Colony. Béchamel sauce was used extensively in Greek and Cypriot cooking of the 19th century and the early 20th century. Anglocypriots claim to have introduced the dish to the UK. Cauliflower was said to have been introduced to the west during the French Lusignan rule of Cyprus. The Old French word for Cauliflower is chou de Chypre (Cyprus cabbage). There is a recipe for cauliflower with Parmesan cheese in Mrs Beeton's Book of Household Management, first published in 1861. In the 19th and 20th centuries the dish was often served as an
Cauliflower optimal preservation. Short-term storage is possible using cool, high-humidity storage conditions. There are four major groups of cauliflower. There are hundreds of historic and current commercial varieties used around the world. A comprehensive list of about 80 North American varieties is maintained at North Carolina State University. In 2016, global production of cauliflowers (combined for production reports with broccoli) was 25.2 million tonnes, led by China and India which, combined, had 73% of the world total. Secondary producers, having 0.4–1.3 million tonnes annually, were the United States, Spain, Mexico and Italy. 100 grams of raw white cauliflower provides 25 calories,