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Lovely Leeks

© Carey Draeger

They look like scallions with an attitude--the large,round white bulb ascending into a series of overlapping, sturdy green leaves known as chevrons. But the lowly leek, once called the "asparagus of the poor," has a delicate taste all its own that mixes well with other foods.

The leek is an ancient vegetable--it was among the first plants cultivated by humans. It is part of the lily (Libacaeae) family and cousin to garlic, onions, chives and shallots. The earliest known reference to leeks was in 2,100 B.C., when Ur-Nannmu of Ur grew them in his garden. An Assyrian herbal recipe recommends using leeks to keep hair from turning grey. Ancient Egyptians included leeks in the rations the pyramid builders received. Even the Israelites, during their flight from Egypt, bemoaned the fact that they had to leave behind "the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks" in their haste to escape.

Since Homer (810 B.C.), ancient Greeks have included the leek in their diet. Nearly 900 years later, the Roman emperor Nero drank a potion of boiled leeks daily in the belief that it would improve his singing voice. His aides christened him with the less-than-flattering nickname "porrophagus" or "leek mouth." Roman armies later took the leek as far west as Wales, where inhabitants enthusiastically embraced the vegetable as their national emblem. To this day the Welsh celebrate St. David's Day on March 1 by wearing bits of leeks in buttonholes and hats to commemorate the victory of King Cadwallader over the Saxons in 640 A.D. During this battle, the Welsh avoided attacking each other by tucking leeks into their caps to identify themselves. They also included leeks in a communal stew served during their annual spring plowing festival.

The Scots are almost as fond of leeks as their Welsh bretheren, but they prefer to eat rather than wear it. A Scottish soup, charmingly dubbed "cock-a-leekie" because of the chicken broth and leeks used to make it, is a favorite way to warm the body and nourish the soul on a cold Scottish night (the Welsh call their leek broth "cawl cennin").

When Americans discovered the leek, they elevated it to haute cuisine. In 1910 Chef Louis Diat of the Ritz Hotel in New York, improved upon a peasant soup he fondly remembered from his childhood that was made with leeks and potatoes. After pureeing the soup, he added heavy cream, topped it with chives and served it cold. The name? Vichyssoise.