Roll Cuisine Corner
WHITE GOLD
by Pierre-Luc Moeys, Owner/Chef Oriole 9
Though they are considered vegetables, asparagus are actually the tender young shoots of a flowering plant. These quick-growing shoots are periodically snipped off and collected, and quickly regenerate. Most of us are familiar with the popular green variety, originally native to Europe, northern Africa, and western Asia, but most epicureans have a special place in their culinary hearts for the more rare white asparagus, known also as spargel, and “white gold.” Where the green variety tends to have a bitter element, the whites have a sweet and nutty delicacy prized by (primarily) European chefs.
White asparagus does not occur naturally, however, and must be carefully cultivated. Legend has it that it was discovered when a green asparagus crop was ruined in a hailstorm, forcing people to eat what remained below ground. Modern cultivation involves depriving the shoots of sunlight, preventing photosynthesis (greening), and increasing ultraviolet light. Hugely popular in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, legend also has it that Romans and Greeks appreciated their aphrodisiacal properties (along with, apparently, just about everything) and Louis XIV of France had his royal gardener develop the means to have them available year-round. It’s good to be the king.
With no fat or cholesterol, and low amounts of calories and sodium, asparagus contains useful amounts of folic acid and fiber and also has diuretic properties good for the bladder. Homeopaths value it for treating rheumatism and edema, and the amino acid asparagine, important to the nervous system, is named after the vegetable it is rich with...CONTINUE...
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