Return of the White Asparagus

It’s that time of year again. The seasonal foods calendar has swung it’s pointer squarely onto the much loved local specialty: Spargel (Asparagus).

The first harvest was proudly announced on the news this weekend, which means that shortly Beelitzer Spargel -from the area of Beelitz south of Berlin- will be appearing in our supermarkets and on our menus. My mouth is watering already.

As I described last year, the Weisse Spargel is grown under the ground and you can recognise the asparagus fields by their long rows of raised earth. Asparagus is actually grown from root networks of one-year-old plants and these “crowns” are planted in the middle of winter, usually by Polish seasonal workers who sit on planter trucks for hours a day, freezing their fingers off. These same Poles come back again to take in the harvest… truly a fully German production.

But the white asparagus is worth a try while you’re here. It’s sweeter and tastes different to the green variety so even if you dislike the that one, give this a go. Almost every restaurant will be serving asparagus and usually has a special “Spargel Karte” in the menu just for this time of year, although I will still say you can’t really go wrong with the basics: hot asparagus served with cold ham, hollandaise sauce and some potatoes. Simple, yet perfect.