Asparagus is one of the most popular vegetables in Germany and the Germans are regarded as asparagus lovers. The Poles were not interested in these vegetables until recently. Only very few Poles knew these vegetables, as almost all the production was intended for export. Now the country is really going for the vegetables, reports MDR: The farmers are feeling the higher demand, because the shops simply cannot do without asparagus.
"Once a woman came and wanted to buy a kilo of asparagus. I told her that asparagus works like Viagra," says Antoni Kminikowski and laughs so warmly that almost the freshly-harvested asparagus falls out of his hand. "Then she bought two kilos!" He laughs hoarsely. In his region in north-eastern Poland, the 68-year-old farmer brought the asparagus to the local markets, above all others. Until recently, only very few of its customers knew the vegetables. Because for a long time Poland has grown vegetables almost exclusively for export. But that is changing.
Asparagus yield has doubled
Polish asparagus production is rising, prices are falling and asparagus, which has long been considered a luxury vegetable, is becoming a new trend in Polish cuisine. The Association of Polish Asparagus Producers states that Poland will harvest up to 13,000 tons of vegetables. Four years ago, the country produced only about half as much. Especially the west of the country is known for its asparagus cultivation, but also in Eastern Poland and around the big cities like Warsaw more and more asparagus fields are being created.
Asparagus: New trend in Polish cuisine
For a long time, Polish asparagus went mainly to Germany, France, the Netherlands, the Scandinavian countries and Great Britain. But now most of the harvest remains in Poland. And that is visible: the restaurants in Warsaw offer asparagus soup, in the grocery stores there are green and white asparagus fresh from Polish fields, not only in Warsaw, but also in the province. Even in eastern Poland, where the vegetables were hardly known until recently, it more and more often ends up on people's plates. "We Poles for a long time only knew asparagus because we drove to Western Europe after the fall of the Wall to get their money," says farmer Kminikowski.
Source: MDR