Leek
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Leek (disambiguation).
| Leek | |
|---|---|
| Details | |
| Genus | Allium |
| Species | Allium ampeloprasum L. |
| Cultivar group | Leek Group (other names are used, e.g. Porrum Group) |
| Cultivar | Many, see text |
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 255 kJ (61 kcal) |
| Carbohydrates | 14.15 g |
| - Sugars | 3.9 g |
| - Dietary fiber | 1.8 g |
| Fat | 0.3 g |
| Protein | 1.5 g |
| Water | 83 g |
| Vitamin A equiv. | 83 μg (10%) |
| - beta-carotene | 1000 μg (9%) |
| - lutein and zeaxanthin | 1900 μg |
| Thiamine (vit. B1) | 0.06 mg (5%) |
| Riboflavin (vit. B2) | 0.03 mg (3%) |
| Niacin (vit. B3) | 0.4 mg (3%) |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) | 0.14 mg (3%) |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.233 mg (18%) |
| Folate (vit. B9) | 64 μg (16%) |
| Vitamin C | 12 mg (14%) |
| Vitamin E | 0.92 mg (6%) |
| Vitamin K | 47 μg (45%) |
| Calcium | 59 mg (6%) |
| Iron | 2.1 mg (16%) |
| Magnesium | 28 mg (8%) |
| Manganese | 0.481 mg (23%) |
| Phosphorus | 35 mg (5%) |
| Potassium | 180 mg (4%) |
| Link to USDA Database entry Percentages are relative to US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database | |
The leek is a vegetable that belongs, along with onion and garlic, to the genus Allium, currently placed in family Amaryllidaceae, subfamilyAllioideae.[1] Historically many scientific names were used for leeks, which are now treated as cultivars of Allium ampeloprasum.[2] Two related vegetables, elephant garlic and kurrat, are also cultivars of A. ampeloprasum, although different in their uses as food.
The edible part of the leek plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths that is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk.
Form
Rather than forming a tight bulb like the onion, the leek produces a long cylinder of bundled leaf sheaths that are generally blanched by pushing soil around them (trenching). They are often sold as small seedlings in flats that are started off early in greenhouses, to be planted out as weather permits. Once established in the garden, leeks are hardy; many varieties can be left in the ground during the winter to be harvested as needed.
[edit]Cultivars
Leek cultivars may be treated as a single cultivar group, e.g. as Allium ampeloprasum 'Leek Group'.[3] The cultivars can be subdivided in several ways, but the most common types are "summer leeks", intended for harvest in the season when planted, and overwintering leeks, meant to be harvested in the spring of the year following planting. Summer leek types are generally smaller than overwintering types; overwintering types are generally more strongly flavoured. Cultivars include 'King Richard' and 'Tadorna Blue'.
[edit]Growing
Leeks are easy to grow from seed and tolerate standing in the field for an extended harvest. Leeks usually reach maturity in the autumn months, and they have few pest or disease problems. Leeks can be bunched and harvested early when they are about the size of a finger or pencil, or they can be thinned and allowed to grow to a much larger mature size. Hilling leeks can produce better specimens.
[edit]Cuisine
Leeks have a mild onion-like taste. In its raw state, the vegetable is crunchy and firm. The edible portions of the leek are the white base of the leaves (above the roots and stem base), the light green parts, and to a lesser extent the dark green parts of the leaves. One of the most popular uses is for adding flavor to stock. The dark green portion is usually discarded because it has a tough texture, but it can be sauteed or added to stock.[4] A few leaves are sometimes tied with twine and other herbs to form a bouquet garni.
Leeks are typically chopped into slices 5–10 mm thick. The slices have a tendency to fall apart, due to the layered structure of the leek. The different ways of preparing the vegetable are:
- Boiled, which turns it soft and mild in taste. (Care should be taken to chop the vegetable, or else the intact fibers that run the length of the vegetable will tangle into a ball while chewing.)
- Fried, which leaves it crunchier and preserves the taste.
- Raw, which can be used in salads, doing especially well when they are the prime ingredient.
Leeks are an ingredient of cock-a-leekie soup, leek and potato soup, and vichyssoise, as well as plain leek soup.
Because of their symbolism in Wales (see below), they have come to be used extensively in that country’s cuisine. Elsewhere in Britain, leeks have come back into favour only in the last 50 years or so, having been overlooked for several centuries.[5]
[edit]Historical consumption
Dried specimens from archaeological sites in ancient Egypt, as well as wall carvings and drawings, led Zohary and Hopf to conclude the leek was a part of the Egyptian diet from at least the second millennium BCE onwards. They also allude to surviving texts that show it had been also grown in Mesopotamia from the beginning of the second millennium BCE.[6] The leek was the favourite vegetable of the Emperor Nero, who consumed it in soup or in oil, believing it beneficial to the quality of his voice.[7]
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