General Information
White asparagus, botanical name Asparagus officinalis, is a member of the Liliaceae family. White asparagus is derived from the same varieties as green asparagus, however its growing method separates it from other varieties; while being cultivated, it has never seen the light of day: soil is mounded over the asparagus plants to prevent the sun’s rays from producing chlorophyll as they grow. Therefor it matures without color, making it the albino version of asparagus. When the slightest sight of a tip protrudes from the earth, the plant is picked.
White asparagus spears are pearly white, thick and rounded. Measuring about 6 to 8 inches in length with rounded, tapered tips. Their flavor is mild and slightly herbaceous with nutty, earthy notes of artichoke and fresh white corn.
White asparagus offers a lower amount of antioxidants than regular asparagus, a result of the lack of chlorophyll. Rutin, ascorbic acid, tocopherol, glutathione and ferulic acid are all found present in White asparagus along with vitamins B, A and C. White asparagus contains a high amount of non-essential aspartic acid, which was named after asparagus, the source of which it was first isolated.
History
Asparagus is native to most of Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. Though widely found growing wild it is has been cultivated as a vegetable crop for centuries. As it was historically found growing in maritime regions, it prefers sandy weedless soils. Adding saline to soil to replicate this habitat can allow for fertile soil conditions. The agricultural downside, though, is that most other edible vegetation does not thrive in sandy soil conditions. Cultivated and wild asparagus thrive in temperate regions of North America and Western Europe.
