Alfalfa sprouts

Alfalfa sprouts are the very fine, hair-thin shoots germinated from the tiny seeds of alfalfa (Medicago sativa), harvested after a few days as a soft white tangle tipped with tiny green cotyledon leaves. Mild, fresh and faintly nutty-grassy with a delicate crunch, they are the archetypal "health-food" sprout of Western cooking — heaped into sandwiches and wraps, scattered over salads, and pressed into pita and bagels — sold fresh year-round because, like all sprouts, they are grown from stored dry seed in a few days rather than harvested from a field.