Long before the towers and urban sprawl of the inner suburbs, Argenteuil had the air of a vast vegetable garden on the doorstep of Paris. Vignes, fig trees and market-garden crops occupied a large swath of the countryside. Among these productions, one bunch would come to define the town’s history: Argenteuil asparagus.
White, plump, and instantly identifiable by its tip that can take on pink to violet hues, this variety has helped shape the gastronomic reputation of the town in the Val-d’Oise (95) and, more broadly, of the Île-de-France terroir. Asparagus cultivation here goes back a long way, but its development really took off in the 19th century.
Today as well, its name stays on the radar, and it ranks among the best-known French asparagus varieties, alongside Landes sand asparagus. Behind this familiar label lies a know‑how that has travelled far beyond its homeland.
The tale truly begins when the Argenteuil market gardeners specialize in asparagus farming in the 18th century. From a large spear imported from northern Europe, they gradually select a variety best suited to their production. In the following century, Louis Lhérault, a grower from Argenteuil, plays a pivotal role in its selection and dissemination. The variety then takes root and remains known as Argenteuil asparagus.
Its development has been closely linked to the region’s agricultural history. The town was known for its vineyards, but market gardening gradually grew in importance in the 19th century. Asparagus became so central that it helped shape Argenteuil’s very identity, and its cultivation eventually rivaled that of the vineyards!
The local technique also had its distinctive feature: the asparagus were grown, in particular, in the light soils along the Seine’s bend. The sandy soils in the area were especially well suited to this crop.
The Argenteuil asparagus belongs to the white asparagus, whose shoots develop out of the light under heaps of soil. Unlike green asparagus, which gain their color from sun exposure, these are harvested before their exposure to air fully triggers photosynthesis.
The Île-de-France variety stands out in particular for its imposing turions and its tenderness. Market gardeners have spent generations selecting it, giving rise to several variants such as l’Argenteuil Hâtive and l’Argenteuil Tardive.
This selection has had an influence far beyond Val-d’Oise: Argenteuil asparagus gave rise to many varieties developed later in France. Its harvest remains a matter of precision : the spear must be picked at the right moment, the picking is done by hand, and its season is also short, mainly in spring.
Argenteuil asparagus doesn’t stay confined to the fields of the Val-d’Oise for long. In the 19th century, it makes its way onto the bourgeois tables and into restaurants, at a time when asparagus occupies a central role in the French gastronomy. Its renown tracks the rise of market-gardening that feeds Paris from its outskirts. It even leaves its mark in culinary vocabulary!
Several preparations nicknamed 'à l’Argenteuil' thus reference asparagus, notably the Argenteuil scrambled eggs and the Argenteuil soup, made from the remaining portions of the spears after the tips have been used. A already-time-honored way to waste not a bit of this precious vegetable.
The town of Argenteuil also notes that this very tender asparagus was served in prestigious restaurants and even in the first class on the Titanic, a sign of the product’s reputation that had taken hold around the turn of the 20th century.
The landscape is changing fast, though. Industrialisation, urbanisation and transformation of agricultural land are gradually pushing back market gardening over the course of the 20th century. Asparagus, like the vineyards and other historic crops of the commune, loses a large swath of its territory.
The variety, it travels. Its cultivation has spread to other regions and serves as the basis for new selections. This is the paradox of l’asperge d’Argenteuil: its name remains closely tied to Val-d’Oise, even as its historic local production has all but disappeared. Indeed, while the variety still exists, it is unfortunately no longer grown in Argenteuil.
The Paris region through its terroir : Discover the culinary specialties of Île-de-France
You think you know the Paris region like the back of your hand, but how well do you know its terroir? Don't delay in discovering the culinary specialties of Île-de-France! [Read more]
Location
Argenteuil
95100 Argenteuil
95100 Argenteuil
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Transilien line J "gare d'Argenteuil" station
The Paris region through its terroir : Discover the culinary specialties of Île-de-France
