# What's Rhubarb? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 23, 2003, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-rhubarb/150413 "2003-01-23T09:10:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-rhubarb/150413/21 "2003-01-23T16:23:31Z")
It is a vegetable and a herb, in the botanical sense of the words, it is a fruit in the culinary sense that it is treated as one. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-rhubarb/150413/22 "2003-01-23T17:23:37Z")
[hijack] I was quite intrigued by this sentence from the [rhubarb info](http://www.rhubarbinfo.com/rhubarb-background.html#TOC3) website: > [@](#): > > Some folks say the finest quality rhubarb is grown in Michigan, Ontario, Canada, and other northern states in the United States. Is it just me, or does the wording of that sentence make it sound like Ontario _and_ Canada are “northern states in the United States”? [/hijack] Carry on. ---
**Author:** ![bcullman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bcullman/32/8207_2.png) [@bcullman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bcullman)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-rhubarb/150413/23 "2003-01-23T17:27:12Z")
Doesn’t rhubarb look a lot like red celery? In fact, is rhubarb related to celery? ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-rhubarb/150413/24 "2003-01-23T17:42:06Z")
If you want to see the mother of all rhubarb plants, check [this site](http://www.rhubarbgourmet.com/index.html) out. Scroll down the page a bit. ---
**Author:** ![owlstretchingtime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/958977/32.png) [@owlstretchingtime](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/owlstretchingtime)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-rhubarb/150413/25 "2003-01-23T17:49:29Z")
Rhubarb is GORGEOUS!!! Rhubarb crumble and custard is as good as it gets. Rhubarb fool comes close… I grow it in my garden. I love it. It does funny things to your teeth though. ---
**Author:** ![malaka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecc23a/32.png) [@malaka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malaka)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-rhubarb/150413/26 "2003-01-23T18:26:00Z")
My favorite rhubarb fact: [http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues02/Co04062002/CO\_04062002\_Recipes.htm](http://www.turtletrack.org/Issues02/Co04062002/CO_04062002_Recipes.htm) > [@](#): > > While it’s known as the pie plant because of its dessert role, rhubarb also has a place in the theater world. If a scene calls for background crowd noise, actors on stage will often murmur “rhubarb, rhubarb, rhubarb” because it sounds like talking. ---
**Author:** ![Rayne\_Man](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/df705f/32.png) [@Rayne\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rayne_Man)\ **Post date:** [January 23, 2003, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-rhubarb/150413/27 "2003-01-23T19:16:52Z")
In the north of England they grow rhubarb indoors in large , windowless sheds to produce a very early crop of " forced " rhubarb which is very pale pink in colour and very tender. You could do the same with an outdoor plant by placing a large bucket or barrel over the plant and getting an earlier crop than normal in the type of climate we have in the UK. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-rhubarb/150413.md?page=1)