Veronika, der Spargel wächst!

Veronika, the asparagus is growing! – "Veronika, der Lenz ist da" by Tobias Bertzbach

My very first visit to Germany nine years ago took place in mid-May, right around this time of year. In addition to delicious baked goods, charming cobblestone streets, and sunny, blue skies, during this trip I also encountered a particular long, white, somewhat stringy vegetable at nearly every restaurant or cafe I visited. As it turned out, I had arrived in Germany at the peak of Spargelzeit, or asparagus season.

That’s right – from roughly mid-April to June, Germany has an entire season where the humble asparagus is held high, celebrated, and consumed in exceedingly large quantities. While I was already familiar with the green asparagus typically found in the U.S. (and still personally prefer it), Germans seem to especially enjoy the larger, sturdier white asparagus, often paired with butter, hollandaise sauce, and/or potatoes. Throughout the spring season, signs advertising all kinds of Spargel specialties are nicht zu vermeiden (unavoidable), and special pop-up stands even appear all over town to make sure that no one has to walk far to get their Spargel fix.

The German love for Spargel has of course found its way into German popular music. This week’s musical appetizer is a Spargel-fied version of a vintage Schlager-style song called “Veronika, der Lenz ist da”, complete with orchestral accompaniment and updated lyrics that make the song even more Spargel-centric:

Veronika, der Lenz ist da
Veronika, spring is here
Die Mädchen singen tralala
The girls sing tralala
Die ganze Welt ist wie verhext
The whole world is bewitched
Und überhaupt der Spargel wächst
And the asparagus is growing
Veronika, weiß oder grün?
Veronika, white or green?
Lass ihn in heißem Wasser ziehen
Let it steep in hot water
Sogar der Großpapa sagt seiner Großmama:
Even grandpa tells his grandma:
Ach, ist noch was vom Spargel da?
Oh, is there any asparagus left?

You can also hear the original version of the song by the Comedian Harmonists here.

And if you’re interested in preparing white Spargel the German way, you can learn more from German food blog Just Like Oma.