Plugging the leaks about leeks

I frequently use only use one leek when I make soup or a stew. It gives a sweetness and mild onion-like flavor to the dish and is not as strong as an onion. Occasionally I also use leeks as a vegetable to accompany roast beef. A British friend gave me the recipe, saying that the sweetness of leeks balanced the heavy flavors of roast beef.
Most of the food writers who have written about leeks have passed on two bits of information. One is that the cultivated vegetable is so ancient that no wild variety from which it may have developed still exists. The second bit of information tells us that leeks are native to the eastern Mediterranean. Both of these assertions are questionable.
The leek probably has been cultivated throughout history. As for the Mediterranean origin of the leek, this does not seem true to the nature of the plant.
Cold is cool
Leeks are one of the hardiest vegetables. They can be left in the ground all winter as long as the temperature does not drop below 10 degrees. Leeks also are less resistant to heat.
In colder climates leek seeds can be planted in autumn or early winter. They will survive the cold and grow in the spring. Leek plants can be put in the ground two months before the normal date of the last spring frost.
Leeks often are planted in shallow trenches, like asparagus, and the soil is heaped up around them to blanch the long root — its most delicious part. However, if they are buried too deep where it is warm, they may rot.
With all of that information, it is readily assumed that leeks did not originate in the warm Mediterranean climate. But where did the leek come from?
Luck of the leek
There is an Irish legend about its origin. St. Patrick was consoling a dying woman. She told him that in a vision she had seen an herb floating in the air, and that it had been revealed to her that unless she ate it she would die. The saint asked her what kind of herb it was. She told him that it looked like rushes. Thus St. Patrick transformed some rushes into leeks; she ate them and was cured.
You might not want to believe this legend, but the Irish regard leeks as their own vegetable. However, on the opposite shore of the Irish Sea, the leek is the national emblem of Wales. On St. David’s Day, Welshmen wear bits of leek in their buttonholes in memory of the victory of King Caldwallader over the Saxons in 640 A.D. In this battle the Welsh avoided striking the wrong fighters by wearing leeks in their caps as an identifying badge.
The cult of the leek in Wales also goes back to the annual spring plowing festival. On this occasion each
participant contributes a leek to the communal stew, which is served at the festival.
Scotland is another area in the British Isles where people are addicted to leeks. In an old recipe for Scottish cock-a-leekie soup, the directions say that leeks must be boiled down into the soup until is becomes a smooth compound.
Wild leeks grow freely around the Irish Sea, especially on the offshore islands of Wales. All of this does not conclusively prove that leeks are native to Celtic Britain, but it seems more likely than from the warm Mediterranean.
On the other hand, leeks seem to have been around in Egyptian times, as one writer of that period recorded that he paid his court magician a fee of 1,000 pears, 100 pitchers of beer, an ox and 100 bunches of leeks. The Israelites, fleeing that country, regretted bitterly leaving behind cucumbers, melons and leeks.
The Roman writer Pliny stated that the finest leeks of his time came from Egypt. The Greeks were known to soak seeds of other vegetables in leek juice to protect them from blight and mildew.
Leeks were a favorite European vegetable during the Middle Ages when so many of the delicate foods had disappeared from the markets. In Elizabethan times, peas and leeks were made into a porridge, a popular Lenten food.
Leeks have been described as having a flavor less fine but more robust than asparagus and are often called “the poor man’s asparagus.” Ever since Charlemagne’s time, leeks have been a staple of French cuisine and have been used extensively by the English.
Despite its long history in Europe, the leek has not been popular in America. Leek seeds were offered at one time in seed catalogs, then disappeared after World War II but came back in the later post-war era. Today leeks are usually available in the produce section of most of our supermarkets.
The following recipe for Buttered Leeks is simple to prepare and retains all the delicate flavor and texture of the leeks. It goes well with any roasted meat.
Buttered Leeks
4 tablespoons butter
6 medium leeks, trimmed, thoroughly washed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream, optional
Melt the butter in a large skillet with a lid. Add the leeks, season with salt and pepper, and stir to mix. Cover and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until leeks are tender, but still slightly crisp. Do not let them brown. For a richer dish add the cream at the last minute before serving. Serves 6.