Meanings
plural broccoli rabes · alternative broccoli raab · alternative broccoli rape
- countableuncountableRapini, a leafy-green vegetable.
Broccoli rabe is a classic Italian bitter green and it's a favorite in our family.
2012, Claire Criscuolo, Welcome to Claire's, page 1193 more examples
She uses broccoli rabe instead of aka takana (spicy mustard greens), shops in the Caribbean markets of her Washington Heights neighborhood for batatas rather than Japanese satsumaimo (yellow sweet potatoes), and has learned to love the local mofongo, the Dominican version of mashed plantains with lots of garlic.
2007 December 26, Julia Moskin, “A Celebration of the New Year Ushers in a Bit of Japan”, in The New York Times, New York, N.Y.: The New York Times Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 26 Nov 2022Profiled by Sarah Di Gregorio in The Village Voice, Fratelli's is famous for its broccoli rabe specialties.
2010, Anthony Di Renzo, Bitter Greens, page 96All the baking is done in-house, from the impressive selections in the breadbasket, including a stuffed bread with cheese, salami and broccoli rabe, to the desserts, like the feathery-light flourless chocolate cake, paired with a caramel gelato and topped off with a crisp chocolate tuile.
2015 July 16, Joanne Starkey, “Restaurant Review: Scarpetta Beach in Montauk Offers Meals to Match the View”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 04 Jan 2022Synonyms: rabe
Synonyms & antonyms
nounRapini, a leafy-green vegetable.
More synonyms by meaning
nounplant grown for its pungent edible leafy shoots
nounslightly bitter dark green leaves and clustered flower buds
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Italianbroccoli di rapa“sprouts or stalks of the turnip”
- Englishbroccoli rabe
Ultimately from Italian broccoli di rapa (“sprouts or stalks of the turnip”).
More words from Italian
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
broccoli rabe. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broccoli%20rabe
“broccoli rabe.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broccoli%20rabe. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “broccoli rabe,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/broccoli%20rabe.
Source: broccoli rabe on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.