Page 3 - Book-TradiAliCulture-Belgium

ITS ORIGINS :

Some historians pretend seeing the representation of asparagus on the walls of a pyramid in Saqqara
in Egypt, meaning that its tillage would date from more than 5000 years B.C.

Anyway, it's established that the Greeks used wild asparagus “asparagus officinalis” with the fine
therapeutic ones. Hippocrate, for example, alleged that the asparagus root appeared very effective
against dysentery and lumbago. Moreover, the Greeks recognized with asparagus aphrodisiac and
contraceptive virtues. That is why they dedicated this plant to Aphrodite, goddess of love.

The Romans invented the tillage of asparagus, that they held for a product of great luxury because of
the smoothness of its taste, but also of the properties which were allotted to it. They consumed
asparaguses raw, smoked or cooked.

The Middle Ages are a hollow period for the tillage of asparagus considered as too difficult and
complicated.

During the Renaissance, the Medici gave asparagus its noble letters again, then the Kings of France
went to Italy to make war, and finally Charles V launched the fashion of the “Flemish asparagus”
recipe. It was the beginning of a great tradition.

But it is in the 19th century that the tillage of asparagus knew its apex, thanks to the invention of
modern tillage methods that enabled it to seat on the tables of the Belgian middle-class when our
country was one of the richest in the world.

Produced almost exclusively in the
Flemish part of our country, especially
in the area of Malines and Louvain,
Belgian asparaguses, especially the
white ones, were famous, from the 17th
century to the 1960s.

Then, the tillage of asparagus in
Flanders decreased due to important
taxations on this product considered as
luxurious, with the competing imports
coming from Asia, Greece and Italy and
with the important work required to
product quality asparagus. The market-
gardeners preferred turning to the
production of chicory or cauliflower,
more profitable and less tiring.

But, since the end of the 1980s, one witnesses a renewed interest of the consumers for the
traditional top quality products, also the production in Flanders resurrected but is not yet sufficient to
meet the needs. The Belgian asparagus remains thus extremely expensive.

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