White Asparagus

White asparagus is exactly the same as green asparagus except for the fact that it has never seen the light of day. It comes from a process of etiolation (botany term meaning "deprivation of light"); the plant is grown under soil or some other form of covering which blocks out sunshine and prevents photosynthesis from taking place. Without photosynthesis, there is no development of chlorophyll which is the substance that turns the asparagus green.

White asparagus is only available in the Spring and according to Cook's Illustrated, there are no domestic producers in the US, so the great majority of white asparagus found in supermarkets is imported from Peru.

White vs Green

Green asparagus stems are known for tasting sweet, grassy, and vegetal, while white asparagus stems have a much less potent flavor that often reminds one of peas or turnips. The white also costs, on average, $2 more a pound than the green asparagus...rather odd that you have to pay more for less flavor.

Fancy Fact : There are 5 grades of asparagus including colossal, jumbo, large, standard, and small. Also, asparagus plants are either male or female ....the skinny stems come from male plants and the thicker stems come from the female plants.