Spring Produces at Its Best: White Asparagus VS Artichoke

Signs of spring are all around! It’s time to enjoy fresh vegetables in season. White asparaguses and artichokes grown in European countries are some of the popular seasonal food for spring. Both food are grown at its best quality and quantity. Many restaurants usually put white asparaguses and artichokes in their spring recipes because they taste the best and provide good nutrients to us during spring.

The “blue-blood”among vegetables　 White asparagus

White asparaguses are usually grown in Germany, Holland and Belgium instead of France. The best quality of asparaguses can be found in Frankfurt from April to June. It is a popular food in North European countries. White asparagus has soft texture and is served in royal court dishes. It’s commonly known as the “edible ivory”.

White asparaguses are not initially white. People do put huge effort to keep asparaguses white in color. Firstly, they use heavy and thick plastic cloth to cover the soil in order to prevent direct sunlight penetrating into the asparaguses. It avoids photosynthesis process and thus stops the production of chlorophyll. During harvest period, workers will collect asparaguses in early morning before sunrise so that they can keep white in color. Since the growing process requires much human and money inputs and its harvest period is rather short, white asparagus is an expensive food in general. Many restaurants in Hong Kong provide exclusive spring recipes for white asparaguses. For instance, the Hugo’s restaurant serves steamed white asparaguses with Hollandaise sauce in which you can taste the original freshness and texture of asparaguses in this recipe. You have to act fast if you want to try since asparaguses will only be in season until late June!

The natural supplement for skin　 Artichoke

The English name “Artichoke” is originated from the French name “Artichaut”. Artichoke belongs to the Asteraceae category and it’s usually grown in Southern European countries. Although you can find Artichoke all-year round, it grows the best in spring. People start to consume Artichoke ever since the Rome Empire period. It is rich in Vitamin C and dietary fibre with no fats or cholesterol. You can eat both the root and the petal part of the Artichoke and it’s very popular among Europeans.

Artichokes can be cooked in various cooking methods including frying, baking, boiling or even consume it as raw food. Artichokes usually match well with different dishes with its floral and root parts. You have to remove the skin and petal parts of Artichoke before cooking. Then, put it in lemon water to avoid oxidizing. Artichokes can be cooked in lots of ways, including the traditional European cooking method in which it’s served with Italian Parma Ham. The freshness of artichokes can reduce the oiliness of ham while retaining the original taste of it. You can check it out at the Sabatini restaurant.

Text:Calvin
Translation: Natalie

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