It's a jocular term for asparagus.



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That which does not kill us makes us stranger.
(Llewelyn the dragon, Ozy and Millie)

Sarah

Not true. Sparrow grass is the good ol' rustic name for sparrow grass. The Victorians thought it was a bit coarse, and gentrified it into Asparagus. I prefer the country name. to be honest.



PSD

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This is the work of an Italian narco-anarchic collective. Don't bother insulting them, they can't read English anyway.

Sarah, I could be wrong but I do believe that over in the Vale of Evesham (where they grow an awful lot of it) "Sparrow Grass" is more a colloquialism than a jocular term for "Asparagus officinalis" - in other words, that's what they really do call it. Gorgeous stuff anyway!

Whoops, must learn to type faster! Thanks though PSD, glad we're agreed (especially on my first day; never a good idea to disagree with the "list elders" too early on!)

Sparrow Grass may be what it is really called but if I asked for it that way over here on this side of the pond, I hate to think what would arrive on my dinner plate!

Asparagus: Absolutely delicious raw or lightly blanched, cooled then quickly sauteed in a little bit of butter and salt and pepper...one of my very fave veggies!

Spinach: DELIGHTFUL raw or lightly wilted in a touch of butter and shallots. Heavenly when creamed. Absolutely vile when frozen or canned

Brussels Sprouts: can't be overcooked, taste okay but leave a putrid smell in the kitchen

Beets: YUM! I love them done Harvard style with a little orange sugar. Pickled beets are amazing too. Too bad they stain so badly!

Lima Beans: Vile unless cooked thoroughly and then generously smothered in Paul Newman Italian dressing

Zucchini: wonderful raw and used in crudite also great when sauteed and used in a ragout. Equally delightful when battered and deep fried

Eggplant: Wonderful in any possible way it can be cooked. Not so great raw.

Cauliflower: great raw and steamed but even better when steamed, mashed and butter added and then used as a base to put curries over. YUM Great used instead of mashed potatoes in low-carb diets!

Broccoli: sort of disgusting cooked. I much prefer it raw and I'd MUCH rather eat the stems and now the flower parts. I think it's a texture thing. They always seem like eating dry breadcrumbs, but the stems have SO much flavor!

Corn: fantastic boiled or grilled on the cob, even better as niblets and even better when the uncooked niblets are added to a mix of Vidalia (sweet) onions, chopped tomatoes and a bit of cilantro (coriander leaves) and then dressed with lime juice, rice vinegar and salt and pepper. Very summery and amazing!

Peas: YUM! Best as sugar snap variety or as snow peas. Love being able to eat the pod too. Do not defile peas by putting them in pea soup. Speaking of vile...

Radishes: MmmMmmMmm! Raw is great but sauteed in butter salt and pepper is beyond belief, but also very prone to causing gas related intestinal distress!

Carrots: good no matter how you make them!

Bell peppers of any color: Obviously the spawn of Satan (and I'm allergic so I guess it's good I don't like the way they taste, either!)

Eep, you guys said a lot when I wasn't looking...

I like carrots. I like sprouts. I don't like spinach, or peas. Don't know why, must be some childhood regression thing....



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There's a hole in my creativity bucket and it's all leaked out.

According to my dictionary, the etymology of "asparagus" is given as "Latin, from Greek asparagos/aspharagos". Hence "sparrow grass" is, as I thought, a corruption - all right, maybe colloquial rather than jocular, but still not the original name for the plant. After all, does it really look like a grass to you?

Not that I normally worry too much about the etymology of the stuff. I'd rather just eat it!



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That which does not kill us makes us stranger.
(Llewelyn the dragon, Ozy and Millie)

Sarah

Ptomlomy - list elders? Almost fell over laughing... I'm flattered but the volume of posts isn't any reflection of the value of posts... I basically speak my mind, and that's fairly empty at the best of times. The fforum runs on the basis of taking the Michael for most of the time, if there's a way to send it up we follow it....

Even if Asparagus came first I prefer Sparrow Grass. In exactly the same way I prefer old man's beard and woodbine to Clematis and honeysuckle. But then I'm strange like that...



PSD

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This is the work of an Italian narco-anarchic collective. Don't bother insulting them, they can't read English anyway.

Yes sparrow grass is much more pleasing, isn't it?

There's a great tradition of making spurious anglicisations from Latin phrases -- the phrase 'A partridge in a pear tree' originated as a recasting of "Parturit in aperto/Parturit in operto" meaning "She gave birth in the open" or "She gave birth in a cave". Which is how come it's a Christmas song.

Or at least that's how the theory goes.

And it's 'four colly birds', not 'four calling birds'. So there.

A colly bird is an old name for a seagull.



Jesus saves; Buddha does incremental backup.

I like the 'sparrow grass' name, although I think any sparrow trying to eat that partiuclar grass would probably choke.

Thank you, Ptolomy. We do call them zucchini Down Under. So I have tried them. But I can't eat them. Or cucumber. Major indigestion.

Spinach is fine, but silver beet is utterly disgusting, almost as bad as brussell sprouts. I'll eat cauliflower and broccoli au gratin, adore corn, be it kernals or on the cob. I don't think anyone has mentioned the humble but versatile lettuce. Nice on it's own, with a sprinkling of sugar, in a salad on a hamburger.

I have to admit I'm not a fan of lettuce. To be honest, I'm not a fan of most things green, but I've learnt to enjoy salads that have a large proportion of herbs and the more tasty leaves - ie rocket, lollo rosso etc

Lettuce hs always seemed a little tasteless for me.



PSD

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This is the work of an Italian narco-anarchic collective. Don't bother insulting them, they can't read English anyway.

Try it with the sugar. Just sprinkle it on the leaf and eat. Or smother the leaf and eat. Either way....

Yeah, but there are other leafs to eat with a modicum of flavour - and they don't need anything adding...



PSD

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This is the work of an Italian narco-anarchic collective. Don't bother insulting them, they can't read English anyway.

I usually have lettuce with salt myself (and maybe a little oil and lemon juice).

But then not all lettuce is equal -- iceberg is always tasteless and disgusting, but a good traditional english round lettuce with a bit of oil, salt and raspberry vinegar is a (first course of a) feast fit for a king.

Frisee and lollo are quite good too. And lambs lettuce is divine, but then that's not actually lettuce, come to think of it.



Jesus saves; Buddha does incremental backup.

AAC mentioned eggplant, or aubergines as they are known here. I am now hungry, they are my top favourite veggie (fruit actually, corrects my inner pedant) and I love them roasted. Any recipe that calls for them sliced and salted is a faff, and I don't do it, but aubergine splurge is delicious.

Aubergine splurge is btw my version of the Two Fat Ladies "poor man's caviar" which is, as they admit, nothing like caviar, and splurge suits it better. It looks revolting, but tastes divine.

Asparagus/sparrow grass/ call it what you will, brings me out in hives and makes me wheeze. It doesn't taste nice enough to be worth the trouble. Rhubarb OTOH which affects me similarly tastes gorgeous and I'll sometimes risk a teeny weeny bit.

Okay, now I'm starving, I'll have to get a banana.

Mmmm - rhubarb crumble...



PSD

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This is the work of an Italian narco-anarchic collective. Don't bother insulting them, they can't read English anyway.

Rhubarb - yucky!

It occurs to me that I either love certain vegies or hate them. there is no middle ground.

am I imagining it, or do most threads on here end up talking about food in one shape or form?

Usually chocolate, but yes, food does get mentioned here and there. Might have something to do with the fact that without it we die.