For true gourmands, the spring season does not begin in the Northern Hemisphere until white asparagus makes its appearance on restaurant menus.
Its arrival is so eagerly anticipated in Europe that consumption and sourcing of the best white asparagus has practically become a continent-wide obsession.
The Germans, who claim the creamy white vegetable as their own, celebrate
its arrival with
Spargelzeit, which lasts from mid-April to the
end of June. During this time, copious amounts of the “king of vegetables”
are consumed and the ingredient is the star feature in restaurants around
the nation. Each year, Germans are known to eat about 72,000 tons of white
asparagus.
Over in Italy’s Veneto region, the craving for white asparagus is also widespread. The most famous white asparagus in this region comes from Bassano del Grappa, in the Verona province. It has also garnered the Italian government’s recognition and is now christened: Asparagi DOC di Bassano. Festivals are held to celebrate the harvest from April until the season officially ends on June 13. Chefs usually create new asparagus dishes during this time, or re-interpret classic recipes.
In Asia, the obsession is more restrained with mostly fine dining restaurants and German or European restaurants serving the lush ingredient. In Singapore, chef Emmanuel Stroobant, of renowned French restaurant Saint Pierre, says: “I like to use white asparagus at the very beginning of the spring season, which corresponds with the end of the black truffle winter season. Therefore, I usually prepare a combination of white asparagus and black truffles.”
He says white asparagus has a very lean flavor that, if prepared well, has a much more refined taste than the green variety, which is available all year round.
