Asparagus, or by its official name 'Asparagus officinalis', is an edible plant whose wild varieties are common from Central Europe to the shores of North Africa and the Middle East. As its name suggests, in addition to being an edible plant, it was considered a popular medicinal plant in the ancient world.
Among other uses, it served as a laxative and diuretic and as a remedy for jaundice. The Greeks and Romans used and consumed it as early as the second century BCE. But then something strange happened.
As the Western Roman Empire declined in the fifth century CE, asparagus also disappeared from the pages of culinary history only to reappear in a completely different place – a place where even today asparagus, and specifically the white asparagus that visits us this week.
The last time we encountered asparagus was in Rome. The land of the boot. Almost a thousand years passed, and then, in the 16th century, it emerged again but this time north of the Alps in the area of central present-day Germany.
Who cultivated it and how did this happen? It is not clear, but in the 16th century, asparagus made a grand entrance into the German menu. Initially, only those with money in their pockets could afford it, namely the aristocracy and the urban bourgeoisie who began to change Europe and transform it into what we know today.
Later, as cultivation methods developed, it spread throughout the German region, and even today, alongside cabbage, it is considered the most German of all vegetables. The varieties of asparagus we eat today (and there are dozens of varieties) originate from those asparagus plants which the Germans cultivated in the 16th century.
Now we come to white asparagus. I mentioned dozens of varieties, so you probably assume that one of these varieties is white asparagus. However, you are mistaken. White asparagus is not a 'variety' (and yes, there are varieties that are probably more suitable for growing white asparagus, but that is not the point). Asparagus turns white because of its cultivation method.
The first stage of asparagus growth, which includes the development of the iconic stem that resembles a royal scepter, occurs underground. Sometime during the 19th century, it was discovered that if the asparagus plot is blocked underground with a sheet that prevents sunlight, it delays germination and remains in the soil.
If you remember the post about purple cauliflower from last week, in which I mentioned chlorophyll, the enzyme that performs photosynthesis and also gives plants their green hue … Well, the thing about chlorophyll is that it cannot develop without exposure to sunlight.
So what happens to young asparagus when exposure to sunlight is prevented? They remain without the green pigment. In nature, a plant that cannot perform photosynthesis will perish from lack of energy. In agriculture, we simply harvest it at this stage, and we have white asparagus.
This is a complex process, and therefore most of the asparagus you will encounter in markets is green asparagus. Consequently, white asparagus is slightly more expensive than green. Now you are probably asking yourselves, is it worth the fuss?
My answer is unequivocal and emphatic: absolutely worth it! White asparagus is much softer and less fibrous and also has a sweetness that green asparagus lacks. In addition, the flavors are much more delicate and rich. Although it is essentially the same plant, it is completely a different vegetable and its season is very short.
