2023-05-02 12:22:01
Dhe enthusiasm for white asparagus admired by foreigners in Germany will, according to experts, decrease in the coming years – and possibly gradually die out. The cultural scientist Gunther Hirschfelder has observed that younger people are turning their backs on asparagus. Above all from the associated setting in the tradition of home-style cooking – i.e. food with vegetables, sauce, meat and a filling side dish. Poles that have to be cut are therefore considered impractical by many. “It doesn’t fit at all with playing on your cell phone while eating. What they need best is things they can eat with a spoon.”
Dishes such as bowls, which are available in Asian shops or Arabic restaurants, are popular, says Hirschfelder, editor of the book “Who decides what we eat? Nutrition between tradition and utopia, market and morality”. In addition, the reputation of asparagus as a luxury vegetable is gone. Today, as a seasonal vegetable, it is the subject of most debate about temporary work. “Asparagus has suffered image damage, especially among young people, as a vegetable of social inequality.”
Eating asparagus is said to be too time-consuming for younger people
While many older people actually celebrate eating asparagus, there are “especially younger people for whom eating asparagus is too time-consuming,” says Jürgen Jakobs, chairman of the Beelitz asparagus association. It is currently being decided whether the asparagus culture in this country will remain as it was for a long time or whether the Germans will turn their backs on white asparagus. According to Jakobs, the market share of green asparagus, which is much more common internationally, is also growing in Germany.
After several very strong years, the per capita consumption of white asparagus in Germany has recently fallen. And the domestic harvest fell significantly. The asparagus season in Germany lasts about twelve weeks. It traditionally goes until St. John’s Day on June 24th.
According to a YouGov survey commissioned by the German Press Agency from spring 2022, only 47 percent of 18 to 24 year olds like asparagus. In contrast, the figure for those over 55 is 74 percent.
The German asparagus growers now want to take the enjoyment to the extreme. As a “world premiere” for May 5th, you have proclaimed the “German Asparagus Day”. At least in Rhineland-Palatinate, a better asparagus season than 2022 is expected this year. “The industry is more optimistic than last year, when it was surprised by the Ukraine war and many people kept the money together,” said Andreas Köhr from the Farmers’ and Winegrowers’ Association of Rhineland-Palatinate South of the German Press Agency. Now the growers have adjusted to this and reduced the areas, for example.
“Despite the additional costs such as a higher minimum wage and higher energy and packaging costs, companies are trying to keep prices stable,” said Köhr. “Not all costs can be fully passed on to consumer prices.” Regardless of this, there are also different classes for asparagus.
“That means a large price range. There should be something for everyone,” explained Köhr. In addition, with rising temperatures and more hours of sunshine, the harvest should also increase. “And with a larger supply, the prices can also go down.”
Although cheaper imported asparagus is “always an issue,” said the association spokesman in Mainz. “But the general impression is that the origin of asparagus is more important to consumers than other vegetables.” The problem of too few seasonal workers, which has also arisen due to the pandemic, is not an issue. “There are enough harvest workers there,” emphasized Köhr. “It will not fail because of whether it will be a good or bad season.”
The Farmers’ and Winegrowers’ Association of Rhineland-Nassau in Koblenz called the prospects for asparagus and strawberries very good. Rain and heat meant that the best yields could be expected, said spokesman Herbert Netter. One cost factor is the minimum wage. “Our products are hardly competitive with imports,” he said. “Strawberries and asparagus are very labor intensive and need seasonal workers.”
#Enthusiasm #asparagus #Germany #declining #significantly