Editing Asparagus (section)

== Uses ==
The genome of the species has been sequenced as a model to study the evolution of sex chromosomes in plants and [[dioecy]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Harkess |first1=Alex |last2=Zhou |first2=Jinsong |last3=Xu |first3=Chunyan |last4=Bowers |first4=John E. |last5=Van der Hulst |first5=Ron |last6=Ayyampalayam |first6=Saravanaraj |last7=Mercati |first7=Francesco |last8=Riccardi |first8=Paolo |last9=McKain |first9=Michael R. |last10=Kakrana |first10=Atul |last11=Tang |first11=Haibao |last12=Ray |first12=Jeremy |last13=Groenendijk |first13=John |last14=Arikit |first14=Siwaret |last15=Mathioni |first15=Sandra M. |date=2017-11-02 |title=The asparagus genome sheds light on the origin and evolution of a young Y chromosome |journal=Nature Communications |language=en |volume=8 |issue=1 |page=1279 |bibcode=2017NatCo...8.1279H |doi=10.1038/s41467-017-01064-8 |issn=2041-1723 |pmc=5665984 |pmid=29093472}}</ref>

=== Nutrition ===
{{nutritionalvalue
| name=Asparagus
| kcal=20
| protein=2.2 g
| fat=0.12 g
| carbs=3.9 g
| fibre=2.1 g
| sugars=1.9
| calcium_mg=24
| iron_mg=2.14
| magnesium_mg=14
| phosphorus_mg=52
| potassium_mg=202
| sodium_mg=2
| zinc_mg=0.54
| manganese_mg=0.158
| vitC_mg=5.6
| thiamin_mg=0.143
| riboflavin_mg=0.141
| niacin_mg=1.08
| pantothenic_mg=0.274
| vitB6_mg=0.091
| folate_ug=52
| choline_mg=16
| vitA_ug=38
| betacarotene_ug=449
| vitE_mg=1.13
| vitK_ug=41.6
| water=93 g
| note=[https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/food-details/168389/nutrients Link to USDA Database entry]
}}
Raw asparagus is 93% water, 4% [[carbohydrate]]s, 2% [[protein (nutrient)|protein]], and contains negligible [[fat]] (table). In a reference amount of {{cvt|100|g}}, raw asparagus supplies 20 [[calorie]]s, and is a rich source (20% or more of the [[Daily Value]]) of [[vitamin K]] (35% DV), and a moderate source (11-13% DV) of [[iron in biology|iron]], and the [[B vitamins]], [[thiamine]], [[riboflavin]], and [[folate]], with no other [[micronutrient]]s in significant content (table).
[[File:Spargel sauce hollandaise.jpg|thumb|right|Serving of "white asparagus" with [[Hollandaise sauce]] and potatoes]]

=== Culinary ===
Only young asparagus shoots ("spears") are commonly eaten: once the buds start to open ("ferning out"), the shoots quickly turn woody.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/ext/pubs/ho/ho_096.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010614030400/http://www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/ext/Pubs/HO/HO_096.pdf |archive-date=2001-06-14 |url-status=live |title=Growing Asparagus in the Home Garden; Section on harvesting |page=2 |publisher=Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service |access-date=31 January 2014}}</ref> The shape of edible spears can vary according to variety; typical shapes are long thin spears from 8mm to 24mm diameter, no longer than 22cm.<ref>{{Cite report|url=https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5fd36a32d3bf7f30641aa304/protected-food-evesham-asparagus-pgi-spec.pdf|title=Product Specification: Vale of Evesham asparagus|publisher=[[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|DEFRA]] (UK)|date=6 December 2016<!--from pdf source-->}}</ref> The roots contain starch.<ref name="Skyhorse Publishing-2009">{{Cite book |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/277203364 |title=The Complete Guide to Edible Wild Plants |publisher=[[Skyhorse Publishing]] |author=(([[United States Department of the Army]]))|year=2009 |isbn=978-1-60239-692-0 |location=New York |pages=22 |language=en-US |oclc=277203364}}</ref>

The shoots are prepared and served in a number of ways around the world, typically as an appetizer<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-12-14 |title=10 Easy Asparagus Appetizers |url=https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/asparagus-appetizers/ |access-date=2023-07-26 |website=Insanely Good Recipes |language=en-US}}</ref> or vegetable side dish. In Asian-style cooking, asparagus is often [[stir-fried]]. [[Cantonese cuisine|Cantonese]] restaurants in the United States often serve asparagus stir-fried with [[chicken]], [[shrimp]], or [[beef]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Asparagus |url=https://www.iatp.org/news/asparagus |access-date=2024-06-21 |website=www.iatp.org |language=en}}</ref> It may also be quickly grilled over charcoal or hardwood embers, and is also used as an ingredient in some stews and soups. 

Asparagus can also be [[pickled]] and stored for several years. Some brands label shoots prepared in this way as "marinated".

Stem thickness indicates the age of the plant (and not the age of the stalk), with the thicker stems coming from older plants. Older, thicker stalks can be woody, although peeling the skin at the base removes the tough layer. Peeled asparagus will poach much faster.<ref>{{cite web
 |url=http://www.drgourmet.com/ingredients/asparagus.shtml|title=Ingredients – Asparagus
 |publisher=DrGourmet.com
 |access-date=20 July 2011
 }}</ref> The bottom portion of asparagus often contains sand and soil, so thorough cleaning is generally advised before cooking. 

Male plants tend to  produce spears that are smaller and thinner, while female plants tend produce larger and thicker spears.<ref name="Wolford">{{cite web |last1=Wolford |first1=Ron |last2=Banks |first2=Drusilla |title=Asparagus |url=https://web.extension.illinois.edu/veggies/asparagus.cfm |website=Watch Your Garden Grow |publisher=University of Illinois Extension |access-date=May 3, 2020}}</ref> The thickness of stalks is not an indication of their tenderness; they are thick or thin from the moment they sprout from the ground.<ref name="Wolford" />

Green asparagus is eaten worldwide, and the availability of imports throughout the year has made it less of a delicacy than it once was.<ref name="Blamey">Blamey, M. & Grey-Wilson, C. (1989). ''Flora of Britain and Northern Europe''. {{ISBN|0-340-40170-2}}.</ref> In Europe, according to one source, the "asparagus season is a highlight of the [[foodie]] calendar"; in the UK this traditionally begins on 23 April and ends on [[Midsummer]] Day.<ref>[http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/4329516.Time_to_glory_in_asparagus_again/ ''Oxford Times'': "Time to glory in asparagus again".] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090907192444/http://www.oxfordtimes.co.uk/leisure/4329516.Time_to_glory_in_asparagus_again/ |date=7 September 2009 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/|title=Page Redirection|access-date=3 March 2009|archive-date=16 March 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090316131257/http://www.british-asparagus.co.uk/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In Europe the short growing season and high demand leads to a relatively high price for local produce, although asparagus is also imported.

Only seasonally on the menu, asparagus dishes are advertised outside many restaurants, usually from late April to June. For the French style, asparagus is often boiled or steamed and served with [[Hollandaise sauce]], [[white sauce]], melted butter or most recently with olive oil and [[Parmesan cheese]].<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KurMDAAAQBAJ&q=asperge%20livre%20cuisine&pg=PT354|chapter=“Chapitre XVI Légumes 71.Légumes” |author1=Jules Gouffé |author2=Etienne Antoine |author3=Eugène Ronjat|title=Le Livre de cuisine: Comprenant la cuisine de ménage et la grande cuisine, 1893.|date=5 August 2016 |publisher=BnF collection ebooks |isbn=9782346013760 |language=fr|access-date=28 April 2020}} (''Asperge'' is French for asparagus.)</ref> Tall, narrow asparagus cooking pots allow the shoots to be steamed gently, their tips staying out of the water.

In western Himalayan regions, such as Nepal and north-western India, [[Ornithogalum pyrenaicum]], known as "wild asparagus," is harvested as a seasonal vegetable delicacy known as ''kurilo'' or ''jhijhirkani''.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kamal Prasad Aryal, Sushmita Poudel, Ram Prasad Chaudhary, Nakul Chettri, Pashupati Chaudhary, Wu Ning, Rajan Kotru |title=Diversity and use of wild and non-cultivated edible plants in the Western Himalaya |journal=Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine |year=2018 |volume=14 |issue=1 |page=10 |doi=10.1186/s13002-018-0211-1 |pmid=29378614 |pmc=5789610 |doi-access=free }}</ref>

==== White asparagus ====

[[File:Steam-boiling_green_asparagus.jpg|thumb|Steam-boiling asparagus in a pot]]
[[File:21 05 01 Daniela Kloth Spargel MG 0720.jpg|thumb|Asparagus with Hollandaise sauce]]
White asparagus is very popular in Europe and western Asia.{{Citation needed|date=September 2017}} It is produced by applying a [[Blanching (horticulture)|blanching]] technique while the asparagus shoots are growing:<ref>{{Cite book|last=Creasy|first=Rosalind|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=A7SHCgAAQBAJ&q=White+asparagus+is+the+result+of+applying+a+blanching+technique&pg=PA9|title=Edible French Garden|date=1999-03-15|publisher=Tuttle Publishing|isbn=978-1-4629-1759-4|language=en}}</ref> the shoots are covered with soil as they grow, i.e. [[Hilling|earthed up]]; without exposure to sunlight, there is no [[photosynthesis]] and the shoots remain white. The locally cultivated so-called "white gold" or "edible ivory" asparagus, also referred to as "the royal vegetable",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eten-en-drinken.infoyo.nl/producten/14450-wit-goud-en-koningin-der-groente-vorstelijke-asperges.html|title=Wit goud en koningin der groente: vorstelijke asperges|date=20 May 2009|publisher=Infoyo (web publisher)|location=Netherlands|language=nl|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119040848/http://eten-en-drinken.infoyo.nl/producten/14450-wit-goud-en-koningin-der-groente-vorstelijke-asperges.html|archive-date=19 January 2012|access-date=26 August 2011}}</ref> is believed to be less bitter and more tender than unblanched green. Freshness is very important, and the lower ends of white asparagus must be peeled.

During the German ''Spargelsaison'' or ''Spargelzeit'' ("asparagus season" or "asparagus time"), the asparagus season that traditionally finishes on 24 June, roadside stands and open-air markets sell about half of the country's white asparagus consumption.<ref>{{cite news|last=Evans|first=Stephen|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17753372|title=Asparagus, royalty and the joys of seasonal eating|date=21 April 2012|work=BBC News|access-date=22 April 2012}}</ref>

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