What is this vegetable? This is a delicacy which you should try with awe. And you should manage to try it: season of this vegetable is less than 2 months. This is a dream of all gourmets - asparagus. History of its acquaintance with people counts more then 4 thousands years. Ancient Egyptians cultivated this wonder-product, appreciating its culinary and medicinal qualities. And in Ancient Greece asparagus was a religious plant from the very beginning, they used it in matrimonial rituals

What is this vegetable? This is a delicacy which you should try with awe. And you should manage to try it: season of this vegetable is less than 2 months. This is a dream of all gourmets - asparagus. History of its acquaintance with people counts more then 4 thousands years. Ancient Egyptians cultivated this wonder-product, appreciating its culinary and medicinal qualities. And in Ancient Greece asparagus was a religious plant from the very beginning, they used it in matrimonial rituals.
With time usual people and the mighty of this world appreciated all benefits of this product: for example, one of French kings, Louis XVI, prohibited free sale and growing of asparagus, and the whole crop was grown and eaten exceptionally by king and court circle.
Today asparagus continues to be an exquisite delicacy, but it is available to everybody, who wants to treat himself with it. However, this vegetable is still an object of cult: there’re festivals of asparagus held in the world, and there’s even “asparagus tourism”: you go to a country-side together with your friends, where there’s a real small town. There you can enjoy dishes of asparagus; buy raw one to cook it at home by yourself; learn peeling it off and cooking; and even come to a field, to dig out your own sprout.
The main is not to be late. For example, in Europe season of asparagus begins in the end of April or beginning of May (it depends on weather) and finishes right on July, 24, on St. John’s day, when last crop is gathered.
However, if you are late, you can treat yourself with it little later, when it will be brought from New Zealand - asparagus is widespread on all continents, in 150 sorts.
Depending on color of sprouts, there’re 3 groups of asparagus sorts: green-headed asparagus (Snowy head, Ullmann, Viennese); red-headed asparagus (Argenteuil, Yielding); white-headed asparagus (Elephant, Giant).
This spring-summer juicy dainty is a delicacy, which sweetens not only taste, but also all our organisms, exhausted by winter beriberi.
- Asparagus contains protein, carbohydrates, huge quantity of vitamins (?‚1, ?‚2, ????, pro-vitamin A), calcium, iron, potassium, and also asparagines, carotene and saponin.
- This vegetable - is one of the most low-calorie ones, it contains not calories, but mineral substances and vitamins. Moreover, in many cultures asparagus is considered a medicinal plant.
- Substances, contained in asparagus, purify blood, influence liver wholesomely and bring water out (i.e. asparagus is a wonderful diuretic).
In past medicine used roots and overhead part of asparagus to cure heart diseases, inflammations of liver, urolithiasis, edemas, epilepsy, rheumatism, as a laxative, to cure allergies. It is used in these purposes till now: modern folk medicine uses decoction of roots and rhizomes of this plant to cure excessive heart beat, chronic cardiovascular collapse, and difficult urination.
- Some time fruits of asparagus were used to cure sexual weakness (impotence). By the way, now asparagus is also considered a wonderful aphrodisiac.
Due to asparagine, asparagus influence work of heart, kidneys wholesomely, lowers blood pressure. Substances it contains contribute to removal of chlorides, phosphates and urea out of organism, what is very important while podagra, lithic diathesis, acute and chronic nephritis, inflammation of pelvis, urinary bladder and urinary tract.
- Bulgarians use asparagus to cure metabolic disease (in particular, diabetes), adenomata of prostate, and lack of breast milk.
And Ancient Romans dedicated treatises to asparagus and appreciated the fact that it could turn weak, low-spirited people to cheerful and merry. And Chinese people recommend eating asparagus to raise vitality.
- Asparagus also serves for even more attractive and noble purposes: it keeps beauty, which, as it is known, saves the world.
As long as in times of 3 musketeers noble ladies did asparagus hair and face masks daily, and today rejuvenating qualities of this plant are used by many celebrities - they apply this plant both inside and outwardly.
And they affirm that vegetarian diet with accent on dishes cooked of asparagus helps to lose weight, remove cellulite, add dazzling cleanness to your skin, and healthy shining to your hair. If you eat asparagus as often as you can, age will be your reward, not obstacle, one of mature dazzling beauties says.
Most likely, this will happen, as smoothness and elasticity of asparagus leaves is gained due to big quantity of folacin - a unique vitamin of youth. It is necessary for organism to struggle with fading - reproduction of new cells of skin and hair, counteraction to wrinkles and gray hair.
- And there’s more folacin in asparagus, than in any other vegetable, but remember, it is accumulated only by land sprouts of so-called unbleached - green or red - asparagus.
Besides folacin, asparagus contains much carotene, which helps to save healthy complexion, gain equal bronze tan, which prevents appearance of freckles and pigmentation.
- And white asparagus, appreciated by gourmets, contains alkaloid asparagine. This substance removes irritation and purifies skin, helps it to get rid of final products of metabolism, blocking up pores and contributing to forming of spots. And vitamin PP, containing in asparagus in much quantity, makes skin delicate and velvety. Moreover, this vitamin takes part in forming of female sexual hormones estrogens, protecting skin and body from fading.
By the way, asparagus juice - is an excellent remedy for peeling: it peels off dead cells wonderfully, prevents skin from coursing and covering with small warts - papillomas, and also removes callosities and various horny particles.
Calcium sulfate, contained in asparagus, is necessary for skin for synthesis of structural proteins - collagen and keratin. The first adds elasticity to skin and smoothes wrinkles, the second makes hair shining, strong, fuzz and elastic.
- Due to potassium, magnesium and complex of biologically active substances, creams, gels and masks, based on asparagus (regardless of color of sprouts) pull up skin, remove puffiness, edemas and baggy skin below eyes.
So, after you buy asparagus, don’t forget to do peeling, wiping face with its juice or applying a gruel of its sprouts on your face for 10 minutes. And if your face became swollen, you can wipe it with its juice, appeared on cut of sprout and put thin slices to eyelids and under eyes for 10 minutes.
However, first of all, asparagus is still a culinary delicacy.
Which you should know how to choose and cook. Fresh asparagus almost needs no processing. Peel off upper layer with a knife, if it is fibrous, but usually you have not doing even this.
Sprouts should be tied together in a tuft of 8-10 pieces. Lower part of stalk should be boiled longer, than top, so it is better to cook asparagus in a special bowl, or in such dish, in which tufts would stand vertically, and stalk would be boiling, and brush would be done on steam. On no account overdo asparagus. Put ready asparagus in iced water. Then it will keep color, vitamins and will be wonderfully tasty.
Time of boiling is individual and depends on thickness of asparagus, on average boiling takes from 10 to 20 minutes. Don’t pour much water, otherwise the whole taste will go to broth. You should not also add any kitchen herbs, only salt, sugar and a piece of butter (it is necessary to create a pellicle on the surface of water, boiling should be very quiet). Some add a drop of lemon juice in water (not more), so that asparagus would be whiter.
Lots of dishes can be cooked of asparagus: soups, garnishes, even desserts. But real gourmets eat it exceptionally fresh and rough. And it is desirable to take asparagus, which you gathered this morning, as asparagus begins losing aroma right after it is taken out of soil. But, as it is rather problematic for us to eat asparagus, just taken out of soil, you need to learn choosing freshest sprouts.
- You can distinguish fresh asparagus by its appearance and by ear: peel should be smooth, shining and delicate, and if you rub sprouts one against another - they will “creak”, like glass under windows washer man’s hand. You should buy only firm stalks with tightly closed heads. Diameter is not important, and ideal length is 15-18 cm. You can keep asparagus at home in fridge for 2 days under +1C, wrapping it in wet tissue, and don’t keep too long.
If you are already tired of eating asparagus in natural form or you are inspired with restaurant dishes of asparagus and want to cook something like that at home, try to cook:
Asparagus, baked with eggs.
You will need 4 tufts of young sprouts of asparagus, 3 eggs, 1 glass of cream or milk, 1 table spoon of butter, ½ glass of dried crust, salt. Cut prepared asparagus in pieces with length 3-4 cm, boil in salty water, put in colander. Put in a frying pan, oiled and poured with dried crust, pour eggs, whisked with cream or milk, salt, put round pieces of butter and bake in an oven till rosy color.
Or asparagus on Italian recipe
You will need: 1,5 kg of different asparagus, 125 g of Mozzarella cheese, 12 cherry-tomatoes, 80 g of freshly-grated Parmesan, 80 g of butter, 5 table spoons of olive oil, 100 g of Parma ham, cut in thin slices, 1 small punch of basil. Boil asparagus till readiness. Warm up oven till 200C. Put asparagus in colander, pour over with cold water, then put in a mould, oiled with 2 table spoons of olive oil.
Cut Mozzarella in thin circles, tomatoes cherry cut in two. Cover asparagus with Mozzarella, spread tomatoes from the top evenly, salt, pepper and pour with Parmesan. Half of butter cut in flakes and spread on surface evenly.
Bake asparagus for 7 minutes. Warm up in frying pan 2 table spoons of olive oil, add and melt rest butter. Fry ham from both sides (10 sec for each side). Pluck basil. Take asparagus out of oven, pour with basil, put slices of fried ham on the top and serve.
If you have only canned asparagus, you can cook
Salad of asparagus.
You will need: 150 g of fresh or canned asparagus, 150 g of fresh tomatoes, 100 g of fresh cucumbers, 100 g of fresh or canned haricot, 100 g of cauliflower, 30 g of lettuce, 1 glass of mayonnaise, ½ glass of thick sour cream, 1-2 hard-boiled eggs, dill, pepper, salt.
Boil asparagus (you should not boil it if it is canned), cauliflower and haricot separately. After boiling cool off vegetables and broths. Divide cauliflower in small pieces, cut asparagus, haricot and lettuce in 2,5-3 cm pieces, cut cucumbers and tomatoes in thin slices. Decorate with cut greens of dill and lobules of eggs.
And for dinner -
broth with omelet and asparagus.
You will need: 500g of chicken or beef broth, 100 g of asparagus, 1 egg, 1 tea spoon of butter, salt.
Peel off asparagus sprouts carefully, trying not to broke head, tie in a bunch of 8-10 pieces and boil. Put boiled asparagus in colander.
Cook omelet: whisk raw egg slightly, adding some cold broth to it little by little, salt and pour in an oiled frying pan or mould, put in a bowl with hot water (80-85?°), leave it for 15-20 minutes, not boiling, to receive thick omelet.
While serving take omelet out of mould, cut in portions and put in plates with clear warm broth, in which you should also put cut boiled asparagus.
When you buy asparagus, remember, you hold in your hands what is considered a king vegetable, rejuvenating remedy, main vegetable delicacy and privilege of those who like sophistication and use. I.e. of you.