TikTok users are only just realising how Tenderstem broccoli got its name - with people saying they 'feel lied to'

TikTok users have been left 'baffled' after realising how Tenderstem broccoli got its name. Much to the shock of Sophie Goodman and thousands of other foodies on the video-sharing app, the cult-favourite veg variant is actually 'a brand'. Fans of the tasty greens are reeling from the revelation, with some even claiming they feel 'lied to'. 'The next time you go to a supermarket, any supermarket for that matter, and buy Tenderstem broccoli, I want you to have a look closely,' Sophie urged her 40,000 followers in a video.

'What can you see?' she said while holding up a packed of Tesco's Tenderstem Broccoli. 'You see that tiny R right there? Yes, ladies and gentleman, Tenderstem is actually a fully fledged company.'. Registered since 2002, Sakata UK limited owns a UK registration for the trademark Tenderstem®. 'Fun fact,' Sophie continued. 'If you go to Nando's or somewhere like that and you order their Tenderstem broccoli, it's not actually called Tenderstem broccoli, it's called long stem broccoli because they can't use a patented name on the menu.'.

One user backed Sophie up in the comments, writing: 'I proofread menus and I love that this fact is going mainstream!'. Sophie Goodman (pictured) told her TikTok followers that Tenderstem broccolli is 'actually a fully fledged company'. Tenderstem broccoli was created in a greenhouse in Japan when a breeder at Sakata crossed broccoli with Chinese kale, otherwise known as gai lan. 'All of the breeders, using classical techniques, are allowed a little bit of playtime – or let’s say "fun time" – to experiment and try to create something new,' Dave Samuels, brand director for Sakata’s Europe division, told the Guardian.

'And one of our broccoli breeders in his playtime created this long-stemmed broccoli that we all know and love.'. As well as Tenderstem, Sakata Inc. owns the registration for the mark Broccolini - which the frankenvegetable goes by in the United States. It is now the UK's 25th most popular vegetable and the tenth most popular among millennials, according to YouGov. Emma Flicc, a Brit living in Dubai,  has also shared the foodie revelation in a TikTok video that has now been seen more than 400,000 times.

Emma Flicc (pictured), a Brit living in Dubai, shared the foodie revelation in a TikTok video that has now been seen over 400,000 times. Tenderstem broccoli was created in a greenhouse in Japan when a breeder at Sakata crossed broccoli with Chinese kale, otherwise known as gai lan. Stock image used. TikTok users flooded the comments to announce that they were equally as 'baffled' as Emma on the matter. 'I learned something about Tenderstem broccoli this week which is not a sentence I thought I would say because what is there to learn about Tenderstem broccoli?' she said to the camera.

She goes on to say that the newfound information has 'boggled her brain'. 'Tenderstem broccoli is not the breed of the broccoli,' she continued explained. 'You know how you have like Granny Smith apples [...] or the sweet potato is a breed of a potato, all of that. Tenderstem is a brand, it's a trademark.'. The 'mind-blown' creator inspected a packed of the popular vegetable to find a the R symbol - providing notice that the preceding word is a registered trademark.

Users flooded the comments to announce that they were equally as 'baffled' as Emma and that they felt 'lied to'. 'I can confirm this is indeed mind blowing information,' one user wrote. 'This is wild, never knew broccoli could be trademarked,' another commented. While a third user described it as 'life changing information,' a fourth added: 'This is gonna be my new fun fact.'. Another said that they were 'baffled' after seeing an advert for Tenderstem broccoli.

Discovering the truth behind Tenderstem broccoli has opened the floodgates for people to point out a long list of registered trademarks that are used in everyday life. For example, Granola is owned by German supermarket operator REWE-Zentral AG and the word 'Granary' is a registered trademark of Hovis Limited. On its own website, the bakery explains: 'Granary® is not just a type of bread. The ® is there for a reason.