Asparagus

? Asparagus officinalis
Plant Info
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Liliopsida Order: Asparagales Family: Asparagaceae Genus: Asparagus Species: A. officinalis
Binomial name
Asparagus officinalis L.

Asparagus officinalis is a plant species in the family Asparagaceae from which the popular vegetable known as asparagus is obtained.

The species probably originated in the eastern Mediterranean region but is now a widely-cultivated vegetable crop.

Uses

Food

Asparagus has been used from very early times as a culinary vegetable, owing to its delicate flavour and diuretic properties. There is a recipe for cooking asparagus in the oldest surviving book of recipes, Apicius's 3rd century AD De re coquinaria, Book III.

Three types of asparagus on display in a Boston grocery. At the back white asparagus, in the middle green asparagus, and in front wild German asparagus.

The shoots can be prepared and served in a number of ways, but are usually boiled or steamed and served with hollandaise sauce, melted butter or olive oil and Parmesan cheese. Tall asparagus cooking pots allow the shoots to be steamed gently. Cantonese restaurants in the United States often serve asparagus stir-fried with chicken, shrimp, or beef, also wrapped in bacon. Asparagus may also be quickly grilled over charcoal or hardwood embers. The best asparagus tends to be early growth (first of the season) and is normally simply steamed and served with melted butter.

The first pickings or 'thinnings' are known as sprue asparagus. Sprue have thin stems.

The bottom portion of asparagus often contains sand, and as such proper preparation is generally advised in cooking asparagus.

Medicinal uses and properties

Asparagus rhizomes and roots are used ethnomedically to treat urinary tract infections, as well as kidney and bladder stones.Template:Verify source

Asparagus is low in calories, contains no fat or cholesterol, and is very low in sodium. It is good source of folic acid, potassium, fiber, and rutin. The amino acid asparagine gets its name from asparagus, the asparagus plant being rich in this compound.

Some of the constituents of asparagus are metabolized and excreted in the urine, giving it a distinctive, pungent odor. The odor is due to various sulfur-containing degradation products (e.g. thiols and thioesters) and ammonia. It is only detectable by the noses of some people. Recent studies suggest that every individual produces the odorous compounds, but that only about 40% of individuals have the genes required to smell the odor. The speed of onset of urine smell is rapid, and has been estimated to occur within 15-30 minutes from ingestion.

A case of botulism borne on asparagus was recorded in Australia in 1991.

Cultivation and trade

Green asparagus for sale in New York City.

Asparagus officinalis was cultivated more than 2000 years ago in the Mediterranean region , where Greeks and Romans used it for food and medicine. They ate it fresh when in season and dried the vegetable for use in winter.Template:Verify source

White asparagus, which tastes less bitter than the green variety, is cultivated by denying the plants light and increasing the amount of ultraviolet light exposed to the plants while they are being grown. Purple asparagus differs from its green and white counterparts, having high sugar and low fibre levels. Purple asparagus was originally developed in Italy and commercialised under the variety name Violetto d'Albenga. Since then, breeding work has continued in countries such as the United States and New Zealand.Template:Verify source

White asparagus, known as spargel, is very popular in Germany where 57,000 tons (61% of consumer demands) are produced annually.

Asparagus output in 2005

Peru is currently the world’s leading asparagus exporter, followed by China and Mexico. The top asparagus importers (2004) were the United States (92,405 tons), followed by the European Union (external trade) (18,565 tons), and Japan (17,148 tons).

The United States' production for 2005 was on 54,000 acres (220 km²) and yielded 90,200 tons, making it the world's largest producer and consumer when import quantities are factored in. Production was concentrated in California, Michigan, and Washington. The crop is significant enough in California's Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta region that the city of Stockton holds a festival every year to celebrate it.

Vernacular names and etymology

Asparagus officinalis is widely known simply as "asparagus", and may be confused with unrelated plant species also known as "asparagus", such as Ornithogalum pyrenaicum known as "Prussian asparagus" for its edible shoots.

The English word "asparagus" derives from classical Latin, but the plant was once known in English as sperage, from the Medieval Latin sparagus. This term itself derives from the Greek aspharagos or asparagos, and the Greek term originates from the Persian asparag, meaning "sprout" or "shoot."

Asparagus was also corrupted in some places to "sparrow grass"; indeed, John Walker stated in 1791 that "Sparrow-grass is so general that asparagus has an air of stiffness and pedantry." Template:Fact Another known colloquial variation of the term, most common in parts of Texas, is "aspar grass" or "asper grass." Asparagus is commonly known in fruit retail circles as "Sparrows Guts," etymologically distinct from the old term "sparrow grass," thus showing convergent language evolution.

It is known in French as asperge, in Portuguese as espargo hortense, and in German Spargel.

External links

• PROTAbase on Asparagus officinalis
• Everything About Asparagus - comprehensive information from the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board
• Asparagus officinalis - Plants for a Future database entry
• Template:PDFlink - 2005 USDA report
• Asparagus Production Management and Marketing - commercial growing (OSU bulletin)
• Asparagus - nutrition data
• The Stockton Asparagus Festival - held annually every April in Stockton, California