Asparagus (Asparagus officinalis) is the tender young shoot of a perennial lily relative, harvested in spring as it pushes up from a crown of fleshy roots. Snapped fresh and cooked briefly, the spears are grassy, green and faintly sweet with a savoury, mineral depth; left in the dark to blanch, the same plant yields ivory-white, milder spears prized across Europe.