The young tender shoots of the asparagus are used as a vegetable. It has long been popular, but did go out of favor for a while during the Middle Ages and was popular again during the sixteen hundreds. It was known to many ancient peoples including Romans, Egyptians and Greeks who cooked and ate it during the summer months and dried the stems to keep them for use during the winter.

Asparagus has very few calories and contains anti-oxidants, but is also full of vitamins A, B6, C, E and K. There is some evidence that it may be beneficial to those with heart disease and that the high levels of potassium in asparagus actually slow down the loss of calcium from the body.

There are three different types of asparagus available in most areas of the world and these include Spargel which is German, white asparagus and is grown under the soil so that it stays white. The soil is stacked up over it as it grows. This gives it a much sweeter flavor. Green asparagus is the green and purple one that most of us see quite often. Then there is wild asparagus with its long thin stems and short spears.

Apart from its amazing flavor which is something of an acquired taste, the texture of asparagus is not as popular in UK as it is in US. It also has the ability to attract fish according to US scientist, Homer Smith. He discovered that tinned asparagus was included as part of the emergency ration kit given to American pilots in the Pacific Ocean region, who were working for the US spy organization called the Office of Strategic Services.

The idea of the pilots eating asparagus was a clever one because those who were shot down, or stranded on remote islands had a very valuable way of feeding themselves. Asparagus contains mercaptans which are powerful chemical attractants, and when the vegetable is eaten, these chemicals pass into the urine. The pilots were told to urinate into the water, so that the chemicals would spread through the water and attract fish to the area, making them much easier to catch. This was of course, a valuable food source and the smell of asparagus is present in the urine after just fifteen minutes in many people, or thirty minutes at most.

As a bonus for pilots, asparagus is an excellent source of vitamin A which is essential for good night vision.