Italian Cauliflowers:-
Diverse in appearance, and biennial and annual in type, this group includes white, Romanesco, various green, purple, brown and yellow cultivars. This type is the ancestral form from which the others were derived.

Northwest European biennial:–
Used in Europe for winter and early spring harvest, this was developed in France in the 19th century, and includes the old cultivars Roscoff and Angers.

Northern European annuals:-
Used in Europe and North America for summer and fall harvest, it was developed in Germany in the 18th century, and includes the old cultivars Erfurt and Snowball.

Asian:-
A tropical cauliflower used in China and India, it was developed in India during the 19th century from the now-abandoned Cornish type, and includes old varieties Early Patna and Early Benaras.

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.

White cauliflower:-
White is the most common color of cauliflower.

Orange cauliflower:-
Orange cauliflower contains 25 times the level of Vitamin A compared to the white varieties. This trait came from a natural mutant found in a cauliflower field in Canada. Cultivars include ‘Cheddar’ and ‘Orange Bouquet’.

Green Cauliflower:–
Green cauliflower is sometimes called brocco flower. It is available both with the normal curd shape and a variant spiky curd called Romanesco brocoli. Both types have been commercially available in the U.S. and Europe since the early 1990s. Green-curded varieties include ‘Alverda’, ‘Green Goddess’ and ‘Vorda’.

Romanesco cauliflower varieties include ‘Minaret’ and ‘Veronica’.

Purple cauliflower:–
The purple color in cauliflower is caused by the presence of the antioxidant group anthocyanin.
It is also found in red cabbage and red wine.Varieties include ‘Graffiti’ and ‘Purple Cape’.

Cauliflower is low in fat, low in carbohydrates but high in dietary fiber and Vitamin C. Cauliflower contains several phytochemicals that are beneficial to human health. A high intake of cauliflower has been associated with reduced risk of aggressive prostrate cancer.

Cauliflower can be roasted, boiled, steamed, fried or eaten raw. Steaming or microwaving better preserves the anticancer chemical compounds than boiling.

When cooking, the outer leaves and thick stalks are removed, leaving only the florets. The leaves are also edible, but are most often discarded. The florets should be broken into similar-sized pieces so they are cooked evenly.

After eight minutes of steaming, or five minutes of boiling, the florets should be soft, but not mushy. Stirring while cooking can break the florets into smaller irregular pieces.

The first reliable reference to cauliflower is found in the writings of the Arab Muslim scientists of the 12th and 13th centuries.