Asparagus.
Asparagus.
Originally, it is a wild vegetable that grows especially around the Mediterranean. We find it represented for the first time on an Egyptian fresco, dating from 3,000 BC.
In France, asparagus was not cultivated until the 15th century. But she was especially appreciated as such, with the arrival of Catherine de Medici who introduced her to the Court.
Asparagus was quickly called the “royal vegetable” and remained a luxury product until the 19th century when cultivation techniques improved. It is produced first in the Paris region and in the Loire Valley, then in the South.
Today, asparagus grows throughout France. There are more than 3,000 producers and more than 20,000 tons are harvested each year, the majority in the Landes.
It is the first region to have obtained the IGP (Protected Geographical Indication) for Asparagus des Sables des Landes, white asparagus.
