With Monday’s recipe for chocolate body paint (Organic! Raw! Vegan!) coming up, a Valentine’s Day post dedicated to asparagus might seem…odd. Or at least a little less obvious. And at first glance, it is— but when you move beyond the veggie’s funky green color and decidedly not romantic smell, there’s a whole world of food anthropology ready to educate you and inspire your V-Day dinner plans. In Wolf D. Storl‘s upcoming book, A Curious History of Vegetables, he goes in-depth into the mythologies, transoceanic migrations and adoptions, and cultural integrations of forty-five vegetables.
Asparagus
(Asparagus officinalis)Plant family: Liliaceae, lilaceous plants
Other names: garden asparagus, sparrowgrass
Healing properties: rejuvenating; diuretic; “blood cleansing” for rheumatism, bladder, kidney, and heart ailments
Symbolic meaning: nobility, wealth, refined eroticism, signature of the goddess of love, Aphrodite, Venus, Kamadeva
Planetary affiliation: Jupiter, Venus, MarsAsparagus is definitely an aristocrat. Cookbooks praise it as the finest of vegetables, and it’s been lauded throughout the ages. Plant expert Fritz-Martin Engel reports: “Pharaohs, emperors, kings, generals, and great spiritual leaders, princely poets such as Goethe and gourmands like Brillat-Saravin—all of them ate and eat asparagus with great enthusiasm.” It follows that old astrological herbal doctors saw in asparagus the signature of the god Jupiter, lord and enjoyer of all sensual pleasures.
For the ancient Egyptians, asparagus was a sacred food. They also included it in offerings to the gods. Archeologists found valuable dishware during excavations at the Pyramid of Sakkara, and the food traces on it were clearly identified as asparagus. Next to figs, melons, and other sumptuous food, bundles of asparagus tips were laid into the graves of rich Egyptians who were buried some 5000 years ago. Ancient Greeks harvested wild asparagus, but the Romans had already developed the necessary painstaking garden methods to cultivate this vegetable. Caesar Augustus is supposed to have been especially fond of asparagus, and what the emperor does, everyone else does. Since those times, asparagus is never missing at gala affairs and banquets for diplomats in the Western world. Historical chronicles tell that Emperor Charles V, the ruler of the Habsburg Empire, paid an unexpected visit to Rome during the time of fasting. Since it had not been possible to prepare for his coming and there were not many supplies at hand, the Cardinal in charge had an idea that saved the day: He had the cooks prepare three different asparagus dishes. They were served on three different perfumed tablecloths along with three different exquisite wines. It is said that the emperor praised these delicacies afterwards for years on end.
Asparagus dishes were also cherished at the court of the Sun King, Louis XIV. Whoever wanted to win over Madame de Maintenon, the second wife of the king, only had to bring her a new asparagus recipe. She wrote all of the recipes into a book and for asparagus fans, asparagus soup à la Maintenon is still common knowledge for gourmands. The aura of asparagus has to do with its reputation as a rejuvenating aphrodisiac. Backing this description is the belief that the fast-growing, phallic shoots will increase sexual desire and potency in the human organism. Already the ancient Greeks ascribed asparagus to the goddess of love, Aphrodite. The Boeotians made wreaths for brides out of asparagus fronds. Perhaps Emperor Augustus liked it so much because in Rome the shoots were regarded as an aphrodisiac. The poet Apuleius is supposed to have won over the heart of the wealthy widow Pudentilla with a love potion containing asparagus, crab tails, fish eggs, dove blood, and a bird’s tongue (The marriage earned him a court case for witchcraft, but he was acquitted.).
This fine vegetable was placed under the astrological rule of Jupiter, but not exclusively. Medieval doctors, not surprisingly, also put it under the rule of Venus, the planetary goddess that rules over urinary and sexual organs. Consequentially, these doctors prescribed cooking the root in water or wine and drinking it “to increase semen” and stimulate libido. Galenic humoral doctors also prescribed the plant for “obstructions of the liver, spleen, and kidneys,” and also for kidney stones because it was considered “dilutive, diuretic, and dividing.”
In other cultures asparagus was regarded as a sex tonic as well. The Hindus ascribed it to their “cupid,” named Kamadeva, who was able to help a beautiful maiden beguile even the highest ascetic god, Shiva. With Kamadeva’s help, young Parvati, who later became Shiva’s wife, was able to distract the great ascetic god from his meditation for one moment so that he would fall in love with her. Extreme yogi Shiva was furious and burned Kamadvea to ashes with his fiery third eye. Parvati and the other goddesses begged Shiva to bring the love god back to life and he finally conceded; he revived Kamadeva, but he no longer had a body and became even trickier, invisibly shooting his honeyed arrows into hapless hearts.
In the Ayurveda medical tradition, wild asparagus (satavar or satamuli = 100 roots) is considered an aphrodisiac that increases semen, increases mother’s milk and tones the uterus. It is also known as a heart and brain tonic. It increases ojas, general life energy, and is a healing plant for sexual ailments and infertility. The juice of the roots with clarified butter (ghee) and some lemon juice, honey, and long pepper (Piper langum) is cooked in milk as an aphrodisiac. Muslims know the roots (safed musli) cooked in milk as a substitute for salep, the famous elixir made of orchid bulbs for increasing masculine prowess and for “thickening and increasing semen.” In China, asparagus has been known for more than 5000 years by the name Tien men Tong and is used as a diuretic and expectorant. There the plant was also seen as an aristocrat among plants and honored guests were treated with a relaxing asparagus footbath upon their arrival. Asparagus came to America with the European settlers and escaped from gardens to become a rampant wild plant.
It was not until after the 16th century that asparagus was cultivated in central Europe as a vegetable and a medicinal plant. From that time on it is mentioned in herbal books. In the apothecaries the root was called “officinal”—from which comes the botanical name officinalis—which means it was recognized as a medicine and, just as for the Galenic doctors, praised for “blood thinning,” for “hip pain” (rheumatism, sciatica), hepatitis, kidney stones, and urinary disorders. In his Herbal Book, royal doctor Matthiolus (1544) writes: “Asparagus makes men have pleasant desires.” Among the simpler folk, it was also known for its aphrodisiacal qualities, as a tongue-in-cheek Swabian folk saying goes: “The pastor knows very well why he has asparagus in his garden.” In Transylvania it was known as “spindle in the pants.” In Styria, Austria (Arnold Schwarzenegger’s homeland), wine with asparagus seeds was prescribed for infertility. Asparagus is still considered to be a good diuretic today in modern phytotherapy. Preparations from the rootstock are made for renal gravel, edema, arthritis, rheumatism, gout, liver and spleen ailments, and also for cardiac insufficiency. It is good for kidney ailments, heart ailments, and diabetes. But for acute kidney diseases it is not good, as it is too stimulating.
Recipes:
Asparagus Dessert with Mallow Blossoms
- 3 c. yogurt (800 g.)
- 1 lb. (500 g.) green asparagus
- 2 tbsp. raisins
- 3 tbsp. honey
- 2 tbsp. ground hazelnuts
- a bit of saffron
- about 30 mallow blossoms
Put yogurt in cheesecloth (or dishcloth) and drain for 12 hours. Cut the asparagus into small wheels and steam it in very little water until soft (there should be no water left). Put the asparagus in the refrigerator. Mix the drained yogurt with the raisins, honey, ground nuts, saffron, and at last the asparagus wheels. Put in serving dishes and garnish with mallow blossoms.
Asparagus Tureen with Rhubarb Sauce
- 2 lb. (1 kg.) green asparagus (white will also do)
- 1 pinch of vanilla marrow
- herbal salt, a bit of pepper
- 7 tbsp. grated cheddar cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ c. (100 ml.). cream
Rhubarb Sauce
- 1 c. (300 g.) cubed rhubarb
- 2 tbsp. butter
- 1 tbsp. honey
- 1 tbsp. apple vinegar
- scant ½ c. (100 ml.) vegetable broth
- herbal salt, pepper
- handful of sweet basil leaves
TUREEN: Steam the asparagus with the vanilla and herbal salt in a little bit of water until tender (no water should be left after steaming). Put eight asparagus spears off to the side and purée the rest, pepper to taste, and cool. Mix the asparagus purée with cheese, eggs, egg yolks, and cream. Put the eight asparagus spears in an ovenproof dish and cover them with the asparagus purée. Bake covered at 350° for about forty minutes in a water bath.
SAUCE: Sauté the rhubarb in butter, add honey, and season with herbal salt and pepper. Add vinegar and vegetable broth and let simmer for about twenty minutes. Stir the sweet basil in at the end and serve with the hot tureen.
Adapted from A Curious History of Vegetables by Wolf D. Storl, coming out on June 14, 2016.