This Controversial Vegetable Is One Of Harry Styles' Favorites

Move over, kale and cauliflower — there's a new trending vegetable in town, and it has been approved by none other than pop star Harry Styles himself. Apparently, Styles is a huge fan of the often controversial Brussels sprouts, and he even declared on BBC's Radio 1 that he predicts they'll become "the new kale," a trending item spotted on restaurant menus everywhere (via Spoon University). The singer also knows enough about Brussels sprouts to know that boiling or steaming them isn't the ideal way to cook them. Instead, he prefers to sauté them along with some garlic and red onion, or even combine them with strong flavors like curry. 

In fact, Styles' preferred method of sprout consumption even prompted a Refinery29 writer to taste test Brussels sprouts in curry sauce. They found a jarred sauce, combined it with the cooked sprouts, and simmered the simple mixture until all that flavor was incorporated. The journalist even thoughtfully shared a recipe for any fans that were dying to try a Styles-approved vegetable side dish. The combination makes sense — the strong flavors found in curry sauces would likely drown out any of that bitterness that some sprouts-haters can't stand.

If you want to love Brussels sprouts, but just can't get behind curry sauce and sprouts, don't worry. There's a good chance you just haven't found the right recipe or cooking method to make the vegetable palatable to your taste buds. One tip that works with Brussels sprouts is to roast them until they get brown and crispy on the outside, with some delectably caramelized bits where the sprout touches the pan. Or, if you want an alternative to cooking them, they can be incredible when shredded up finely and eaten raw. After all, coleslaw is a staple side dish — why not combine shredded, raw Brussels sprouts with your favorite dressing for a fresh, light side salad to accompany just about any meal?

Finally, if you want to avoid those unappetizing bitter flavor notes or that squishy texture you may remember from your childhood, the key factor is to be mindful of the cook time. A lot of those qualities come out of Brussels sprouts when they're overcooked, so by roasting them at a high heat until they're tender enough to enjoy, they'll be absolutely perfect. Styles did proclaim them to be the new vegetable trend, so you'd better get on the Brussels sprouts bandwagon sooner rather than later to stay ahead of the times.