The Allusive White Asparagus

~Blog Post #3

April 20, 2015

By: Connor Patrone

            In Germany one of the most commonly used vegetables is the white asparagus. White asparagus or Spargel has its own season in Germany, this is Spargelzeit. Spargelzeit tradidionally begins mid-May and ends on June 24th, St. Johns Day. White asparagus and green asparagus are actually the same type of vegetable. White asparagus grows into the dirt where it does not receive sunlight giving it its white, translucent color. When preparing white asparagus you must peel it bottom to top. This is different to green asparagus in which you peel it from top to bottom. White asparagus is sometimes called the "royal vegetable" due to its historically high status amongst royals. Southwestern Germany, there are many asparagus-producing towns and many of these towns hold festivals in honor of their favorite vegetable. Tourists flock to these Spargelfests. During Spargelzeit, every German food magazine will have entire articles devoted to recipes featuring white asparagus. It's said that during the peak of Spargelzeit, Germans will eat asparagus at least once a day, if not more. When it is not in season you could typically purchase it jarred or canned however it will be mushy and will lack the crunch that can be found if it was fresh. Popular ways of serving white asparagus include topping it with a creamy hollandaise sauce, serving it with potatoes and butter, or cooking it with a thin German ham known as Schinken. If you want you could serve it steamed with a little salt.
 http://wokandroll.hubpages.com/hub/Spargelzeit-or-why-the-Germans-love-white-asparagus#slide8065918