Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1875-08-20
Asparagus in History

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Olympus and been served at the ban
quets of the gods, with ambrosia sauce.
1t is supposed that MUSES. on Helicon had
beds of asparagus, which they watered
from Aganippeand Hippocrene. Butthis
isonly conjectural. 1t is certain that the
Greek philosophers and heroes fed on it.
The Athenians cultivate it as devoutly
as they did the arts and letters.
Among the ancient Romans, with
whom the art of cooking was something
almost as sacred as a priesthood, aspar-
agus was precious vegetable, and
Apicius taught how to cook it in his
famous cookery books. Julius Caesar
loved it, and we may mention that Ma
poleon |. and Napoleon III, resembled
him in having the same love for it.
Perhaps President Grants Cesarism
has also this characteristic 1t is quite
certain that the plant is favorite at the
White House table. To return to an
cient Rome: Pliny speaks of asparagus
in his writing as a very choice dish. 1t
was much liked by Heliogabalus, the
cruel monster, but good liver, among
whose celebrated events in life was the
invention of famous pie made of pea
cocks brains and pheasants' tongues.
4
of Mars, Lucius Cecilius Metellus gave
a banquet, the bill of fare of which
has been preserved in history. Among
the guests were the Vestal virgins, and
among the choice viands asparagus fig
ured most honorably. In the museum
of utensils unearthed in Pompeii is a
knife that was used for cutting the as
paragus plants, which is 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 preferred it to
cabbage, in the cultivation of which he
was a devotee.
To come down to more recent times,
William the Silent used to open his
mouth with alacrity before dish Of as
paragus. His descendant King Will
liam III. of England, brought to that
country the Dutch method of cutting
and eating it, and taught it to Dean
Swift who of course impaired it to Stel-
la and Vannessa, so it became the fash
ion among all except Jacobites. If any
reader doubts this statement about
William and Swift, we refer him to Ma
caulay's History, volume II, page 3S3
| William was not the only modern mon.
arch whose love for asparagus became
historical. Louis XIV. of France
fairly dotted on it, and his favorite Nine
de Pompadour, invented mode of cook
ing and serving it that still figures OIL
the menus of France as " Asperges la
Pompadour," and is regarded as the
most precious legacy the lady left tc
her country.
French memoirs mention that Fon.
tenelle, who lived nearly century, il
his old age retained his relish for aspar
agus. He liked it served with oil, while
l..
his friend Cardinal Dubois, liked it will
, sauce. One day, when the Cardinal
, was coming to dine with him, he order
ed one-half of the asparagus to bt
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 accident and the phrase live in his
tory.