Field Notes - The Sides of March
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
March 15th sits in that peculiar place in the French culinary calendar where winter has not quite finished and spring has not quite sprung. The markets still have a bit of an Irish feel to them - with much space still given over to leeks and potatoes. But you can sense that local market aficionados are sensing an arrival of sorts. The first crop of bright, green asparagus.
The French love their asparagus. They have been cultivating them since the 15th century and their popularity was forever boosted by Madame de Pompadour, mistress of Louis XV, due to her firm belief in their aphrodisiac properties (perhaps due to the intoxicating content of the 'libido' Vitamins A and E). But the arrival of the asparagus is not just about the vegetable itself. It's about what it represents to the Gauls.
