# Asparagus raw?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [April 16, 2017, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553 "2017-04-16T12:03:13Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/1 "2017-04-16T12:03:13Z")
I bought a prepared salad at my local food store. Its main ingredients were asparagus, tomatos and cheese. It was pretty good and I decided to make some for myself. The problem is how to prepare the asparagus. In the store bought version the stalks parts were very crunchy. Almost as if they were raw. But my friend, who knows a lot more about cooking than I, says that asparagus needs to be cooked to neutralize some toxins and is not safe to eat raw.
I’m dubious but cautious. What’s the scoop? Also does anyone have any favorite asparagus recipes?
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### Author:  [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 12:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/2 "2017-04-16T12:18:29Z")
> [@White SIFL](#):
>
> But my friend, who knows a lot more about cooking than I, says that asparagus needs to be cooked to neutralize some toxins and is not safe to eat raw.
That’s total crap. [There’s plenty of recipes that call for raw asparagus.](http://bit.ly/2plYYD5)
I’m partial to shaving it, like [this recipe](http://bit.ly/2pm28XM) calls for, but you can eat it however you like; cooking isn’t necessary, though I would seek out the freshest, best-quality asparagus you can find if you intend to eat it raw.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/3 "2017-04-16T12:21:11Z")
I have an asparagus patch in my back yard, and it’s not unusual for me to break off a stalk and eat it raw. I’ve never gotten sick. Ask your friend what toxins he’s referring to.
(I did get cited by the ignorant city inspector for having “noxious weeds” growing in my yard. But that’s for a different thread.)
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/4 "2017-04-16T13:14:58Z")
> [@panache45](#):
>
> I have an asparagus patch in my back yard, and it’s not unusual for me to break off a stalk and eat it raw. I’ve never gotten sick. Ask your friend what toxins he’s referring to.
I ate plenty of raw asparagus out of the ground from my friend’s garden. Good stuff. That was the standard green asparagus. I think that white asparagus is different though. It’s still not toxic, of course, but you have to cook it for it to be edible.
Is there any vegetable that is toxic unless you cook it?
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 1:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/5 "2017-04-16T13:25:12Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> Is there any vegetable that is toxic unless you cook it?
Cassava and lima beans are the two I remember, but the ones sold in the US have lower levels of whatever toxin it is than in the rest of the world.
Oh, I’ll just look it up. There’s a good bit of info here.
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### Author:  [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/6 "2017-04-16T13:31:57Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> Is there any vegetable that is toxic unless you cook it?
Kidney beans need to be cooked as they contain high levels of [phytohaemagglutinin](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phytohaemagglutinin).
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### Author:  [@TheChileanBlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheChileanBlob)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/7 "2017-04-16T13:39:58Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Cassava and lima beans are the two I remember, but the ones sold in the US have lower levels of whatever toxin it is than in the rest of the world.
>
> Oh, I’ll just look it up. There’s a good bit of info here.
Yikes, I fed my veggie-loving kitty raw lima beans because he begged when we were shelling them. I only let him eat a few, although he would have gladly eaten them all. This was years ago, though, and he didn’t seem to have any ill effects.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/8 "2017-04-16T13:51:49Z")
> [@TheChileanBlob](#):
>
> Yikes, I fed my veggie-loving kitty raw lima beans because he begged when we were shelling them. I only let him eat a few, although he would have gladly eaten them all. This was years ago, though, and he didn’t seem to have any ill effects.
Yeah, I can’t find any records of poisoning caused by lima beans. I wonder how much one would have to eat for it to be a problem (and it appears the cultivated types do not contain much of the compound in question). [Cassava does seem to be a more serious issue](http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/food-poisoning-kills-27-in-philippines-sickens-100-children-who-ate-cassava/), but, from what I can tell, there is also a soaking and pressing process that is used in addition to cooking to make it safely edible. Also, it seems there are a variety of cassavas, and this applies to the bitter kind.
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### Author:  [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/9 "2017-04-16T15:11:27Z")
> [@White SIFL](#):
>
> But my friend, who knows a lot more about cooking than I, says that asparagus needs to be cooked to neutralize some toxins and is not safe to eat raw.
I’m eating a stalk of raw asparagus now, and I
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### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/10 "2017-04-16T15:50:01Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> I’m eating a stalk of raw asparagus now, and I
Poor **Johnny** , we knew him well. ☹
I occasionally eat raw asparagus in salads, and haven’t had
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/11 "2017-04-16T17:03:13Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Cassava and lima beans are the two I remember, but the ones sold in the US have lower levels of whatever toxin it is than in the rest of the world.
>
> Oh, I’ll just look it up. There’s a good bit of info here.
Yes but they aren’t vegetables.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/12 "2017-04-16T17:48:07Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> Yes but they aren’t vegetables.
Sure they are.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/13 "2017-04-16T18:32:23Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> Sure they are.
They’re part of a vegetarian diet but they’re legumes which are technically a fruit.
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### Author:  [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/14 "2017-04-16T19:32:51Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#):
>
> I’m eating a stalk of raw asparagus now, and I
I knew I could count on one of one of you guys to take one for the team.
😃
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### Author:  [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/15 "2017-04-16T19:39:04Z")
I was going to post this in GQ, but I’ll do it here:
I steam my asparagus. What is that nasty, tar-like substance that collects at the bottom of the pot?
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/16 "2017-04-16T19:39:49Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> They’re part of a vegetarian diet but they’re legumes which are technically a fruit.
A vegetable has a far broader definition than that. And cassava is a root.
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### Author:  [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/17 "2017-04-16T19:51:00Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> They’re part of a vegetarian diet but they’re legumes which are technically a fruit.
Though they may be fruits botanically, they’re vegetables in a culinary context. Just like tomatoes.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/18 "2017-04-16T20:34:57Z")
That little bit of inappropriate pedanticism is very annoying. We’re obviously talking in a culinary context. Botanical definitions are unnecessary and irritating.
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### Author:  [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/19 "2017-04-16T20:51:41Z")
> [@jayjay](#):
>
> That little bit of inappropriate pedanticism is very annoying. We’re obviously talking in a culinary context. Botanical definitions are unnecessary and irritating.
Did you forget where you are?
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [April 16, 2017, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/asparagus-raw/784553/20 "2017-04-16T20:55:25Z")
> [@hajario](#):
>
> Did you forget where you are?
Did I actually insult you? I only commented on something you did, politely, without calling you names for it.
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