Agrelia (wild asparagus, as they say in Greece) is a native spring plant - herb - vegetable. The tree resembles a large barbed bush growing up to 2 - 2.20 meters. There are two types of asparagus in Cyprus white and black (Ovria). Ovria is not preferred by Cypriots although some people eat it. White wild asparagus is more erect, with stiff and tight tops and has a strong flavour with a more pleasant bitterness.
So, why not go out in the fields which are full of asparagus in spring and collect to your heart’s content? It's always exciting searching for asparagus but always in the hope you are the first there since there's always competition. Beware though: do not uproot asparagus because they grow again in the same place for 15 years to 20 years, providing each year more and more shoots waiting for you to enjoy.
The ‘Did You Know’ series is made possible with the support of OPAP (Cyprus) and Active Citizens Fund.
