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Asparagus
Scientific Name: Asparagus officinalis
Family: Liliaceae
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The edible part of the Asparagus is provided by the "spears" or young sprouts, very fleshy and tender, which are cut as soon as they grow to 6 - 9 inches. Cultivated asparagus is derived from a wild form still commonly found in sandy places, woods, and along river banks in south-central Europe, western and central Asia, and in northern Africa. The plants can be started from seeds, or, better, from the so-called "crowns," the subterranean stems (rootstocks) which are provided with a cluster of white, fleshy roots. The spears, always sold at very high prices, arise from the crowns in the following spring, or, because of forced growth, also in the fall and winter. Asparagus has a long historical record. Proof of its use in ancient Egypt has been found on old bas-reliefs. It was also used by the Greeks and Romans. Two hundred years before the Christian Era, Cato described its cultivation, which was not very different from that of today. Its use seems to have disappeared in the Middle Ages, except in Arab countries. It started again in Europe during the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV of France, spreading especially in regions characterized by fertile and sandy soils where it grows best. Later, through repeated selections, asparagus has evolved from the forms still close to the wild species, with thin green spears, to those with fleshier and larger spears, variously pigmented. The commercial names of asparagus are derived primarily from the places where it is intensively cultivated and from the color of the spears. So there are the Argenteuil asparagus, which is white and considered the best, the purple Holland asparagus, the white German asparagus, the Bassano del Grappa with green spears, the purple Genoa asparagus ant the Mary Washington of America. Its uses in cookery are varied: to make soups (chopped or creamed), or more simply in the classical way, boiled, with the spears tied in a bunch in the saucepan with the tips above the water, and afterwards seasoned with butter and parmesan cheese or oil and lemon juice, or a Hollandaise sauce. They are often eaten with the fingers. Dietetically, asparagus has little nutritive value. The edible portion represents only 10%. Of this, the solid residue is approximately 14 - 15%. The protein content is less than 1%; the carbohydrates are about 6 - 7%, and there are no lipids. The calorific value is 52 calories per 3 1/2 ounces (100 grams). This is one of the most expensive vegetables to be found. [Bianchini, Francesco, Corbetta, Francesco, Pistoia, Marilena, The Complete Book of Fruits and Vegetables, United States Translation: Crown Publishers, New York, 1976; Originally published in Italy as I Frutti della Terra, Arnoldo Mondadori Publisher, Italy, 1973]