The Leek (Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum (L.) J. Gay) is a vegetable belonging, with onion and garlic, to the Alliaceae, the onion family. Also in this species are two very different vegetables: The elephant garlic (Allium ampeloprasum var. ampeloprasum) grown for its bulbs, and kurrat which is grown for its leaves in Egypt and elsewhere in the Middle East. The leek is also sometimes classified as Allium porrum (L.)
Rather than forming a tight bulb such as the onion, the leek produces a long cylinder of bundled leaf sheaths which are generally blanched by pushing soil around them (trenching). They are often sold as small seedlings in flats which are started early in greenhouses, to be set out as weather permits. Once established in the garden, leeks are hardy and can be left in the ground during the winter to be harvested as needed.
Cuisine
Leeks are generally considered to have a finer flavor than the common onion. They are an essential ingredient of cock-a-leekie soup .
Because of their symbolism in Wales (see below) they have come to be used extensively in that country's cuisine.
History
Leeks were prized by the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans, who distributed the vegetable across Europe.
The leek is one of the national emblems of Wales, whose citizens wear it on St. David's Day. According to legend, Saint David ordered his Welsh soldiers to identify themselves by wearing the vegetable on their helmets in an ancient battle against the Saxons that took place in a leek field. This story may have been made up by the English poet Michael Drayton but it is known that the leek has been a symbol of Wales for a long time; Shakespeare for example refers to the custom of wearing a leek as an "ancient tradition" in Henry V. In the play, Henry tells Fluellen he is wearing a leek "for I am Welsh, you know, good countryman".
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Last updated: 07-29-2005 22:01:49
