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Asparagus has historically been
one of the most popular vegetables in the Western world.

The name derives from a Greek word that means “tender young shoots.” Asparagus was cultivated in the gardens of the ancient Greeks, Romans and Egyptians. It was a preferred vegetable of Julius Caesar.

The Romans had an ingenious way of extending the asparagus season beyond spring and early summer. They picked it and transported it to the Alps to freeze in the snow. The asparagus was then brought back to the lowlands in the fall.

King Louis XIV of France so prized asparagus, he had special greenhouses built to grow it year-round. The French dubbed asparagus “the king of vegetables.”

Away from royal gardens, asparagus commonly grows wild along roadways in much of Europe and parts of the American Midwest.

Throughout history asparagus has been valued as much for its nutritional and medicinal properties as for its flavor. The vegetable has had a reputation as a diuretic, heart medicine and aphrodisiac.

Asparagus is a lily plant. In spring the spears rapidly poke through the soil, and they will grow 12 to 18 inches in just a few days. If you let the asparagus grow, it will reach a height of 3 or 4 feet and develop lacy, fern-like branches. When hot summer weather comes, the plant will die away, leaving only the bulb in the ground.

Today's cooks debate the proper way to prepare asparagus. On the East Coast, chefs seem to prefer asparagus with thick stalks that are peeled. The West Coast seems to go more for thin pencil asparagus left unpeeled.

Asparagus With Hazelnut Vinaigrette is definitely a royal preparation. Hazelnuts and hazelnut oil are expensive but delicious. Hazelnut oil is available at Whole Foods and other gourmet markets. For a less costly preparation, substitute mild olive oil and sliced almonds.

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