Nourishment
Experts: Asparagus hype is waning
Opening of the asparagus season at the Spargelhof Kutzleben. The stick vegetables are in high season again – but how popular is it really? photo
© Martin Schutt/dpa
White asparagus was the German seasonal dish for a long time. But younger people in particular are looking elsewhere for culinary delights. Per capita consumption has recently fallen.
According to experts, the enthusiasm for white asparagus in Germany, which is admired by foreigners, will decrease in the coming years and may gradually die out.
The cultural scientist Gunther Hirschfelder has observed that younger people are turning away from asparagus, especially from the associated setting in the tradition of home-style cooking – i.e. food with vegetables, sauce, meat and a side dish. Poles that have to be cut are therefore considered impractical by many. “It doesn’t fit at all with playing on your phone while you’re eating. They need things they can eat with a spoon best.”
Dishes like bowls, which are available in Asian shops or Arabic restaurants, are popular, says Hirschfelder, editor of the book “Who decides what we eat? Nutrition between tradition and utopia, market and morality”. In addition, the reputation of asparagus as a luxury vegetable is gone. Today, as a seasonal vegetable, it is the subject of most debate about temporary work. “Asparagus has suffered image damage, especially among young people, as a vegetable of social inequality.”
Green asparagus is becoming more popular
While many older people actually celebrate eating asparagus, there are “younger people in particular who find it too time-consuming to eat asparagus,” says Jürgen Jakobs, chairman of the Beelitz asparagus association. It is currently being decided whether the asparagus culture in this country will remain as it was for a long time or whether the Germans will turn their backs on white asparagus. According to Jakobs, the market share of green asparagus, which is much more common internationally, is also growing in Germany.
After several very strong years, the per capita consumption of white asparagus in Germany has recently fallen. And the domestic harvest fell significantly. The asparagus season in Germany lasts about twelve weeks. It traditionally goes until St. John’s Day on June 24th.
According to a YouGov survey commissioned by the German Press Agency from spring 2022, only 47 percent of 18 to 24 year olds like asparagus. In contrast, the figure for those over 55 is 74 percent.
The German asparagus growers now want to take the enjoyment to the extreme. As a “world premiere” for May 5th, you have proclaimed the “German Asparagus Day”.