Gourmet eating with white asparagus

Posted on June 7, 2007
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Most of you are already familiar with green asparagus that can be found in abundance at any grocery store. There is a variety of asparagus that is grown in a way that it never grows green and instead remains white. This gourmet asparagus has a milder more refined taste compared to the green plant; the white asparagus has a less bitter taste to it. If you are wondering why the difference in color, it is because white asparagus is grown in darkness and so it never develops the chlorophyll that would turn it green. Farming it is actually difficult requiring much manual labor.

Maclean’s magazine explains how white asparagus is harvested,

Harvesting white is as painstaking as an archaeological dig: each spear grows deep underground and must be carefully uncovered by hand and cut with an 18-inch knife, taking care not to disturb the smaller shoots next to it. Asparagus farmers work seven days a week, cutting twice a day when it’s hot, since asparagus grows faster than most weeds. It will grow an inch in a couple of hours if the conditions are just right. If you miss a spear and it breaks ground, it turns purple, then green and comparatively worthless: it will fetch only a third of the price.

You should be able to find white asparagus in any major grocery store although supply is often seasonal and limited since much has to be imported from Europe; as a result, white asparagus also tends to be more pricey. If you like eating out then know that white asparagus can often be found in the cookbooks of gourmet chefs. Asparagus in general is great food since it has low calories, no fat and lots of fiber. It should certainly be part of a well balanced diet. Asparagus has been a favorite food since the Greek and Roman times.

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