Schrobenhausen - European center of asparagus worship
In germany, every season is marked by a particular culinary ritual. In fall, bakeries boast bountiful trays of Zwiebelkuchen (onion quiche), December is characterized by Lebkuchen and the New Year is sweetened by Krapfen (jelly donuts) in umpteen varieties. Spring is not celebrated with the caloric treats of colder months, but, rather, via the tubular green or white vegetable — asparagus. In May and June, restaurants find clever ways of preparing the pungent delicacy, while, at home, the masses peel, steam and devour the lily-related perennial. It is, therefore, not surprising that a local museum is devoted to asparagus.
The Europäisches Spargelmuseum (European Asparagus Museum) is the brainchild of Dr. Klaus Englert, a town councilman, who started his collection with a mere three items: a cutter, a smoothing tool and a basket. In May 1985, officials of the town of Schrobenhausen — located about 20 minutes west of greater Munich’s Pfaffenhofen — opened the museum, which is housed in a 15th-century tower situated in the park of the Pflegschloss, a former ducal mansion adjacent to the old city wall. Though the project originally had its skeptics, 55,000 asparagus hailers had visited the museum by 1990.
Today, the collection comprises exhibits from more than 30 countries. The museum’s ground floor is devoted to asparagus farming and to the history of the European asparagus market. On the first floor, asparagus dishes and recipes are displayed, while second-floor exhibits include paintings and prints in which the beloved spear is portrayed. All accompanying texts are presented in English, German and French.
Whereas the ancient Greeks ingested asparagus solely for medicinal purposes — it was first mentioned as a cure for dysentery and urinary diseases by the physician Hippocrates of Kos in the third century BC — the Romans incorporated the noble vegetable into their diets, growing asparagus in home gardens. The earliest known depiction of the long green stalks, a Pompeiian mural, dates from 10 BC.
It was not until the Middle Ages, when asparagus was grown in monastery gardens, that the vitamin-rich shoot found its way onto the tables of kings and noblemen. It was grown on a small scale in France, England, Germany and the Netherlands, and, though it was still quite rare until the 17th and 18th centuries, the demand grew steadily. It was not until the late 18th century that white asparagus became popular. The thick, albino version was first grown in the Netherlands under bell-shaped covers to protect it from chlorophyll-producing light. Today, white asparagus is grown in sandy soil plowed into ridges and harvested as soon as the spears break the surface. Farming tools displayed in the museum include early plows and asparagus-cutting instruments, many of which have changed little over the years.
In the 20th century, Spain became Europe’s largest asparagus grower. Though much of the produce is bought by the canning industry, Spain remains, along with Greece, a major exporter of the crop to Germany. The museum educates with a computerized map of Europe, which provides detailed information on asparagus-yielding regions and their annual output. Faience porcelain and silver dishes manufactured in France and Germany and used for holding sauces, pâté or the vegetable itself, are on display in the tower. Finger tongs were the favored serving device in the late 19th century. The museum features, among many other fascinating implements, a delightful pair of Fabergé silver tongs, once owned by the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova. The facility’s permanent “Asparagus in Art” exhibition includes diverse works from the Dutch and Flemish Schools, reproductions of works by Edouard Manet and Karl Schuch and 20th-century originals, including Andy Warhol lithographs .
If all that veggie worshipping leaves you hankering for hollandaise, you’ll be happy to know Schrobenhausen’s restaurants offer asparagus entrées, from May to June 24 — St. John’s Day — the last day of the harvest.
Europäisches Spargelmuseum, Am Hofgraben 3, 86529 Schrobenhausen, Tel. (08252) 900. Hours: April 15 – June 30 daily 10 – 18. Directions: A8 toward Munich-Augsburg, then the B300 North turnoff before Augsburg.
