Some interesting facts about asparagus:
It used to be in the lily family, but now it’s in its own family. The berries of an asparagus plant are toxic to humans. Nevertheless, humans have been eating asparagus for at least 20,000 years. In the very first cookbook, De Re Coquinaria, Apicus advises drying the stalks before immersing in boiling water backwards. In England, it used to be known as “sparrow-grass.” Asparagus is extremely high in folic acid, which has been shown to retard Alzheimer’s Disease. It is also a diuretic, which makes you pee, and contains a lot of fiber, which makes you move your bowels. Washing your face with water in which asparagus has been boiled helps remove blemishes. Asparagus repels tomato nematodes, and tomato plants repel asparagus beetles. The German town of Schwetzingen crowns an “Asparagus Queen” during its annual festival. While most people produce odorous urine after eating asparagus, only 22% of people are genetically predisposed to be able to detect it. No-one on Earth likes Asparagus-Potato Mold, so don’t ever serve it.
Woman’s Day Encyclopedia of Cookery, Fawcett Publications, Inc., 1966
