Asparagus

Asparagus is a green, spear-shaped vegetable with tightly closed tips. Its flavor is grassy and slightly sweet with a crisp-tender bite; it cooks quickly by roasting, grilling, sauteing, or steaming and shows well in salads, pastas, risottos, and egg dishes. Sold in bundled spears from thin to jumbo, it also appears as white and purple varieties.\n\nNative to the Mediterranean and western Asia, asparagus spread through Europe and later North America, where spring harvests are celebrated in many regional cuisines. White asparagus is produced by mounding soil to exclude light during growth.