[1] Broccolini was originally developed over eight years[2] by the Sakata Seed Company of Yokohama, Japan, as a hybrid of broccoli and gai lan, rather than as the product of genetic modification.

[4][5] Sakata partnered with Sanbon Incorporated in 1994 to begin growing the product commercially in Mexico under the name Asparation, implying a similarity to asparagus due to its slim, edible stem.

According to a 2005 study assessing how Australians cooked broccolini, the majority used steaming, with fewer choosing stir-frying, and a small minority ate it raw or in a salad.

[12][13] Broccolini contains a similar profile of phenolic acids to other vegetables in the Brassica family, most notably containing flavonoids.

Such research has found that common cooking methods reduce broccolini's phenolic acid content, particularly boiling.

[6] The International Federation for Produce Standards assigns it the price look-up code 3277, "baby broccoli".