ASPARAGUS

Asparagus is universally popular vegetable and is one of the lily family's cultivated forms. The optimum season for fresh asparagus lasts from February through June, although available year-round in some regions. The English word "asparagus" derives from classical Latin, but the plant was once known in English as sperage, from the Medieval Latin sparagus. This term itself derives from the Greek aspharagos or asparagos, and the Greek term originates from the Persian asparag, meaning "sprout" or "shoot."


HISTORY OF ASPARAGUS

Asparagus was first cultivated 2000 years ago in the Mediterranean and Asia Minor. The Greeks and Romans loved asparagus for its flavor, texture, and medicinal qualities. Roman emperors were so fond of asparagus that they kept special boats for fetching it and called them the "Asparagus fleet". While the Greeks never seemed to garden asparagus, the Romans had specific directions on how to cultivate asparagus by 200 BC. They would eat the asparagus in season as well as preserve it for later consumption by transporting it to high altitudes where it would stay frozen. Native Americans would dry the asparagus for later medicinal uses. Asparagus has also been depicted in ancient Egyptian writings and was also grown in Syria and Spain in ancient times.

NUTRITION VALUE OF ASPARAGUS

Asparagus is one of the more nutritionally valuable vegetables. It is the best vegetable provider of folic acid. Folic acid is necessary for blood cell formation and growth, as well as liver disease prevention. Folic acid is also important for pregnant women as it aids in the prevention of neural tube defects such as spina bifida in the developing fetus. Asparagus is also very low in calories; each stalk contains fewer than 4. It contains no fat or cholesterol, and is very low in sodium. Asparagus is a great source of potassium and fiber. Finally, the plant is a source of rutin, a compound that strengthens the walls of capillaries.

POPULARITY OF ASPARAGUS

Green asparagus on sale in New York City Peru is currently the world’s leading asparagus exporter, having overtaken other important producers such as China and the United States, and has gained worldwide recognition for the quality of its product.

The top exporters in 2004 by quantity were Peru (73,038 tons), Mexico (37,211 tons), and the United States (11,818 tons), according to Global Trade Atlas and U.S. Census Bureau statistics. Only Peru’s export market share has grown each year over the last several years.

The top asparagus importers in 2004, by quantity, were the United States (92,405 tons), followed by the European Union-25 (EU-25) (external trade) (18,565 tons), and Japan (17,148 tons), according to Global Trade Atlas and U.S. Census Bureau statistics. The United States imported more than four times the amount than the EU-25, the next largest importer.

The United States production for 2005 was on 54,000 acres and yielded 90,200 tons making it the world's largest producer and consumer when import quantities are factored in. Production was concentrated in California, Michigan & Washington states.

Importers in the United States import both green fresh asparagus and white fresh asparagus from Peru. While both green and white fresh asparagus from Peru are marketed in the United States, the color requirements of the current U.S. Standards for Grades of Fresh Asparagus only provide for the grading of green asparagus.