Asparagus seems to be a highly misunderstood vegetable. According to the Michigan Asparagus Advisory Board, it is a member of the lily family along with other vegetables such as onions, leeks and garlic. Yet, this green — though sometimes white– stalk with a flowery top has no pungent taste or smell. Or does it?
Asparagus has a unique effect on the body. As it is digested, it creates a foul smell in the diner’s urine. This unique property has been noted throughout the vegetable’s history. Asparagus is believed to have originated from Greece where the term “asparagos” means “stem” or “young shoot.” This explains how the Roman Empire acquired and fell in love with this food and medicinal remedy.
http://drupa.de, a German-based information website, informs that both the Greeks and Romans believed “asparagus pee” was a side effect from using asparagus as a miracle cure for obesity and liver ailments. They believed this idea so passionately that many of the emperors kept special boats for the sole purpose of fetching the fragrant “flower.” As the Roman Empire grew and spread, so did the spread of asparagus. At the decline of the empire, asparagus consumption dwindled. Little is known about the vegetable until the middle ages when its cultivation barely survived due to secluded gardens. Now, it has become a worldwide favorite.
Other trivia information on asparagus is that the phallic shape has repeatedly evoked erotic senses throughout history. According to a cookbook published in 1539, asparagus “keeps up the Teutonic male’s strength.” Also, because of its shape and sensual appeal, nuns who feared it would excite the senses and imaginations of young ladies banned asparagus from girls’ schools in the 19th century.
The idea of a foul stench in urine caused by asparagus has baffled scientists for many years. A race to discover the cause started in 1891 with a scientist named Nencki, when he had four people each eat three and a half pounds of asparagus. He collected their yellow urine and came to the conclusion that a metabolite called methanethiol was the culprit. However, in 1975 a chemist claimed that S-Methyl Thioesters were the cause. Then, a 1980 reference in the British Medical Journal simply refers to six sulfur-containing compounds. My vote is for the methanethiol, which is famous for its foul odor in rotten eggs and cooked cabbage, though modern science declares mercaptan as its source, the same chemical in the secretion of skunks, according to Elizabeth Somer, a registered dietician and spokesperson for http://WebMd.com.
I decided to take the liberty and directly ask the source why these problems arise. Finding asparagus was not the problem, for it can found at almost every grocery store whether canned, frozen or fresh. The hard part was finding one that would let the secret out. Just as I think one of the spears is about to talk and break the code for all humanity, silence fills the air and a cold damp mist surrounds us. Sure, I was standing in the middle of the produce section, flashlight in one hand and the uncooperative vegetable strangled in the other. I wanted an answer, and I wanted it then. Unfortunately, no information was obtained and the interrogation failed. However, I had my mission and I was going to complete it.
Deciding to try another approach, I befriended the asparagus. I came to realize that the horticultural product had a good side. The vegetable is high in rutin, which has proven properties to help protect against radiation, has anti-hemorrhagic effects and strengthens blood vessels. And, according to the National Cancer Institute, asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione, one of the most potent cancer fighters in the body. So maybe it is not that bad after all.