Did you know - asparagus?

The asparagus plant is a very rustic plant that has its origins in the sandy soils near the banks of the rivers and coasts of Europe and Asia. It belongs to the liliaceous family from whose roots buds stem- these are commonly known as asparagus- they are made up of a head and a stem, whose length is 12 cm or more. Asparagus have been eaten since ancient times for their taste and medicinal properties.

The first reference to this plant dates back to Egyptian times. Egyptian priests used the plant to “sprinkle” the faithful with the hyssop; this act was equivalent to blessing with holy water. It is in the Roman period that a series of writings about the plant and its cultivation in ditches begin to appear. After the fall of the Roman Empire, asparagus cultivation disappears from Europe during the Middle Ages, except in Spain, where it is still grown due to the fact that the country is under Moslem rule.

In 1790, Nicolas Appert invents a procedure for preserving foodstuffs; both from animal and vegetable sources by boiling them in hermetically sealed glass containers.

Peter Dumand invents tin cans in 1810, thus providing a new boost to the asparagus packing industry. To avoid the plant’s typical bitter taste it was scalded in boiling water.

From 1950 on, they start to peel the asparagus before scalding thanks to a system imported from Germany. In this way the asparagus’ fibrousness is removed.

Good asparagus can be distinguished by:

• A delicate texture
• Little or no fibrousness
• Uniform white colour
• Smooth taste
• Closed tips
• Uniform grades in the same tin or jar

From a botanical point of view, white asparagus and green asparagus are the same plant. The difference between them depends on the way the shoot has grown. While asparagus shoots are growing underground they are white or ivory in colour. However, when they break the surface and come into contact with the light they take on a green colour due to the activation of the plant’s chlorophyll function. White asparagus then is harvested as soon as it breaks the surface, whilst green asparagus is harvested when it reaches a height of approximately 20cm.

From an agricultural point of view, green asparagus adapts better to different soil types and geographical conditions. Its cultivation is more easily mechanized, it requires less tending, its production costs are lower, and it requires less manpower and allows greater flexibility in harvesting times. On the other hand, in the same variety, the thickness of green asparagus is less than that of white asparagus. Spanish legislation only establishes two commercial categories for green asparagus; FIRST and SECOND Quality grades. For white asparagus, apart from these, there is also the EXTRA Quality grade.

From an organoleptic point of view, white asparagus has a more tender texture and a smoother flavour than green asparagus.

From a nutritional point of view, green asparagus is richer in minerals and vitamins than white asparagus.

In the process of producing tinned asparagus, the fresh asparagus is peeled and scalded. The product is therefore ready to eat. It requires no further cooking: we recommend eating it with olive oil and vinegar, or with a little mayonnaise.

In the case of green asparagus, it is traditionally eaten warm in sautéed dishes, with eggs or grilled as a garnish.

The first difficulty with fresh asparagus is buying them: knowing how to buy good asparagus. The second difficulty is preparation: knowing how to peel the asparagus and find just the correct cooking time. Of course, if all three phases are done well, the taste of fresh asparagus is exceptional.

At the IAN GROUP, the selection of raw material and the preparation process is carried out by technical staff specialized in asparagus and so, they are carried out to perfection. Process control measures guarantee total safety.

The first advantage of the tinned product is its long life, which allows us to eat asparagus all year round, out of the normal season.

The second advantage of the tinned product is the safety of its preparation, from the point of view of consumer health. Thanks to correct manufacturing practices and to the IAN GROUP implementation of an ARCPC (Analysis of Risks and Critical Points Control) system, the product gives maximum guarantees in terms of consumer health.

The third advantage of the tinned product is its convenience: it is practical for storage and ready to eat.

In etiquette, the host is king That is to say, if you are invited to dinner in a restaurant or at a private home, you should behave in accordance with the rest of the guests.

Asparagus are usually served with a knife and fork, but it is normal to eat asparagus with your hands if there is no cutlery on the table.

Formerly, there were special tongs for asparagus, which are no longer in normal use. This was the most ceremonious way to eat asparagus: one picked up the asparagus with the tongs and left the stem, the least tender part, on the plate. Of course, a good asparagus can be eaten whole without encountering fibers.

Tinned asparagus is healthy because it is a totally natural product (it contains no additives).

As it has 90% water content, it is recommended in slimming diets.

Its high fiber content aids digestion and reduces fat levels in the organism.

Its low carbohydrate content (3.5%) allows it to be eaten by diabetics.

Finally, asparagus contain potassium, which has a diuretic effect, selenium, which retards ageing, vitamin A, which is good for the eyesight and good skin condition and vitamin B, which aids the correct functioning of the nervous system.

PAs they have high oxalic acid and purine content they should be consumed in moderation by persons with oxalate kidney stones and gout.

To sum up, asparagus is refreshing and digestive and may be considered dietetic as it hardly contains calories and it is very good both for the kidneys, due to its diuretic properties, and for the heart, in which it has a toning effect. It is recommended in cases of physical or mental asthenia, convalescence, and anemia. It has a draining effect in the liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs and skin. Furthermore, it has recently been described as one of the most recommendable foods in preventing cancer of the colon and, according to research by a group of American scientists, it can even be seen to have a growth inhibiting effect in human leukemia cells.

CARRETILLA EXTRA asparagus stand out for their tenderness, white colour and their fine taste.

Between 1875 – when the company was founded- and 1989, CARRETILLA asparagus were produced in Navarre. In the 1980s, growth in national consumption made an increase in output necessary. Navarre could not provide this growth potential, due to limits in cultivatable land and the ever-increasing difficulty in finding sufficient labour.

For this reason, the IAN GROUP relocated its production centre to Peru in 1989, after a trial in Andalusia.

The Cañete area of Peru offered all the conditions necessary for asparagus cultivation (moderate temperature, abundant rainfall and local mist). The IAN GROUP sent its team of Spanish technicians to train the workforce and to control the production process all the way through from its cultivation in the field.

In 1999, the IAN GROUP continued with its relocation strategy in another part of the world; China, with the same desire for exhaustive quality control and to bring consumers the best possible asparagus.

Asparagus are refreshing and digestive and highly recommended in slimming diets, as they hardly contain calories. They have a diuretic effect, high fiber content; they delay ageing and provide vitamins A and B.

The approximate average nutritional values for every 100 grams of product are; 15.9 Kcal, 0.8g of protein, 2.5g carbohydrates, 2g of sugars, 0.3g fats, 0.5 fiber and 10.4mg of vitamin C.

Yes, if you wish. It is healthy and preserves all the nutritional properties of the asparagus.

This phenomenon consists of the appearance of a yellowish precipitate composed of “Rutin”. Rutin is a product of the green asparagus’ normal metabolic activity. It is a bioflavonoid substance with vitamin P activity. Its main effect in the human body is to strengthen capillaries and to regulate their permeability. here is absolutely no health risk. Quite the contrary, this vitamin has positive effects on the capillaries.