Spargel (Asparagus) — Royal Vegetable of Germany

Monowara Begum Moni
“I could possibly eat anything more -unless they had some of those great asparaguses. I should be sorry to leave Paris without having some of them”—A Quotation from the famous writer William Somerset Maugham from his famous story LUNCHEON!
Many of us have read the story in our school! It was really funny. In 1565: The Royal families in France started to raise asparagus as the Romans did for eating and the idea followed in Germany. The first documented cultivation of asparagus in Germany – in Lustgarten in Stuttgart, Southeast Germany. Asparagus is known as the “royal vegetable” in Germany, a nickname gained because (as in France) it was only available to the nobility.
In Germany, it is considered as luxurious vegetables and its popularity may in part be rooted in its long history as a luxury vegetable. Going back as far as 2000 BCE, the prized vegetable was cultivated by the Ancient Egyptians, the Greeks and the Romans. Then to Germany, Netherlands and UK.
The crop was brought to North America by English colonists since the English are particularly fond of it.
Nevertheless, to say China is growing more than Europe. In the USA it grows mostly in California, Washington and Michigan.
Germy hires east European worker during this season From April to June,) it cannot be picked by machine but only by hand. The workers excavate the around each spear to a depth of ninety centimetres and clip it at the base. White asparagus turns pink when exposed to sunlight, though there is currently no market for this colour of asparagus.
The difference between green and white asparagus is that white asparagus is grown underground. As The spears of white asparagus grow; they are completely covered with a thick mound of dirt or black plastic, so they are never exposed to the sunlight. This prevents them from producing chlorophyll, the green-tinted molecule that’s responsible for turning sunlight into energy.
Green asparagus, on the other hand, is exposed to sunlight. Growers allow the spears to poke freely out of the dirt, producing chlorophyll, and turning green. The American have the green Asparagus.
White asparagus has a more delicate flavor than green. While green asparagus is a bit grassy, white asparagus is sweeter and has just a hint of bitterness. This delicate flavor is perhaps why it’s so prized in Europe. The short-lived white asparagus season in parts of Europe inspires the same frenzy ramps do in the U.S.
For me, it’s like Bangladeshi Data vegetable. I am sure if the recipe remains same it could taste the same. I think if the Bangladeshi people can cut the Data into 1015 cm pieces and boil it water approximately 10 minutes or until soft enough for your liking. Take the boiled Data and mix it with a little bit butter and salt. Bon appetit!
White asparagus spears tend to be thicker and more fibrous, so it’s rich in nutrients and very low in calories, asparagus has become a culinary status symbol for many Germans. The Germans’ call it royal vegetable (Koenigsgemuse).
The green variety is more popular in North America and Great Britain and tends to be available in supermarkets year-round. Germans, however, prefer the white variety that is harvested from about mid-April to the end of June. The Germans call it royal vegetable (Koenigsgemuse).
But the highly nutritious, low-calorie vegetable doesn’t look like the green asparagus sold in North America year-round.
The city of Schwetzingen, in South West Germany, claims to be the “Asparagus Capital of the World.
Cooking process: Peel the asparagus (only the white asparagus-green one needs not to be peeled) and cook in boiling the water for about 10 minutes. Remove the asparagus from the water and keep warm. Take it out of the water and mix it with butter and salt. Additional they like to take a potato and maybe ham. Of course, there are other cooking recipes.
Traditional restaurants offer menus dedicated to this seasonal favourite, offering soups, salads and warm spears served with hollandaise sauce.
It has a unique place for medicinal usage. However, since it is a rich source of notional properties, includes high levels of minerals, vitamins, fat, sugar, starch and the other carbohydrates.

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Spargel (Asparagus) — Royal Vegetable of Germany2. Photo. GreenWatch Dhaka
Spargel (Asparagus) — Royal Vegetable of Germany2. Photo. GreenWatch Dhaka

The writer is a senior environmental journalist based in Stuttgart, Germany)