Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Etiolation

Someone asked me what is the difference between white asparagus and green asparagus? Since I happened to have some of each on hand, I'll answer that question today.

White asparagus is simply green asparagus that has been deprived of light. When plants receive insufficient light, they turn a pale yellowish color due to a lack of chlorophyll, which as you will remember from Junior High biology, is the chemical reaction plants have to sunlight. Usually white asparagus is kept pale by heaping mounds of dirt around the crowns or groups of stalks. Since asparagus grows quickly in the spring, this must be done daily so white asparagus always costs more than green asparagus. It is also more tender, not as woody and has a slightly different, more delicate, nutty flavor. You can buy it canned in the gourmet section of your market all year long. Canned isn't as tasty as fresh and it's harder to find fresh but some upscale markets carry the white asparagus in the spring

White Asparagus

Europeans and society types seem to prefer white asparagus but I prefer the green even though there is far less asparagus odor on the breath or emanating from a morning whizz after eating white asparagus than green the night before.

Green Asparagus

That's probably more than you wanted to know, isn't it?

3 comments:

jackie said...

you know, i have never been able to talk myself into eating white asparagus. it just seems like the newt of vegetables, like those fish with really big eyes that never see the light and always vaguely gross me out. i'll stick with green, thanks.

Flaurella said...

The "Newt of Veggies?"
Euuuu! LOL

Like I wrote, big in Europe, not so big among the un-hoity-toity in the USA, to say nothing of us Southerners who tend to turn up our noses at panty waist foods. LOL!

Dale said...

Well, I do not really suppose this may work.
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