Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1875-08-06

ASPARAGUS IN HIsToRY.-It may not be
generally known that asparagus was dainty
especially priced by the ancient Greeks, and
it is not impossible that it may have been
grown on Olympus and been served at the
banquets of the gods, with ambrosia sauce.
1t is supposed that the Muses. on Helicon
had beds of asparagus which they watered
from Aganippe and Hippocrene. But this
is only copjectural. IL is certain that the
Greek philosophers ant heroes fed on aspara-
gus, and Epicurus was particularly fond of
it. The Athenians cultivated it as deyoutly
as they did the arts and letters. Among
the ancient Romans, with whom the art OF
cooking was something almost as sacred as Il
priesthood, asparagus was a precious vege
table, and Apicius taught how to cook 1t in
his famous cookery books. Julius Caesar
loved it, and we may mention that Napoleon
|. and Napoleon LII. resembled him in hay-
ing the same love for it. Perhaps President
Grants Cesarism has also this Characteristic.
1t is quite certain that the plant is fayorite
at the White House table. To return to
ancient Rome Pliny speaks of asparagus in
his writings as very choice dish. 1t was
much liked by IIeliogabalus, the cruel mon
ster, but good liver, among whose celebrated
events in life was the invention of famous
pie made of peacocks' brains and pheasants'
tongues. When Lentulus was consecrated
priest of Mars, Lucius Cecilius Metellus
gave a banquet, the bill of fare of which has
been preserved in history. Among the
guests were the Nestal virgins, and among
the choice viands asparagus figured most
hOnorably. In the museum of utensils un
earthed in Pompcii is knife that was used
for cutting asparagus plants, which is a
model for such knives to this day. The mode
Of eating the cooked vegetable was that of
the present time; with the fingers, which
preceded forks in Roman table furniture
Juvenal celebrates the succulent plant in his
writings, and Cato the Censor preferred it to
cabbage, in the cultivation of which he was
devotee. To come down to more recent
times, William the Silent used to open his
mouth with alacrity before dish of aspara-
gus. His descendant, King William III. of
England, brought TO that country the Dutch
method OF cutting and eating it, and taught
1t to Dean Swift, who of course impaired it
to Stella and NaneSsa, 50 it became the fash
ion among all except Jacobites. If any
reader doubts this statement about William
and Swift, We refer him to Macaulay's His
tory, volume IL, page 3s3. William was
not the only modern monarch whose love Tor
asparagus became historical. Louis NV. .
of France fairly dotted on it, and his favorite,
Nine de Pompadour, invented a mode OF
cooking and serving it that still figures on
the menus of France as "Asperges Ia I
Pompadour,' and is regarded as the most
precious legacy the lady left to her country.
French memoirs mention that Fontenelle, /
who lived nearly century, in his old age |
retained his relish for asparagus. lie liked /
it served with oil, while his friend Cardinal /
Dubois liked it with sauce. One day, when /
the cardinal was coming to dine with him,
he ordered one-half Of the asparagus to be /
served in oil and the other half in sauce.
Just before the dinner hour news came of |
the sudden death Of the cardinal. Instantly |
Fontenelle called out loudly to his cook /
'All the asparagus in oil :" The incident
and the phrase live in history.