zed (invariably observed by Apicius)
which today are often wasted by inexperienced cooks who
discard these precious elements with the water in which
vegetables are boiled.

III

[72] ASPARAGUS
_ASPARAGOS_

ASPARAGUS [Tor. IN ORDER TO HAVE IT MOST AGREEABLE TO THE PALATE] MUST
BE [peeled, washed and] DRIED [1] AND IMMERSED IN BOILING WATER
BACKWARDS [2] [3].

[1] V. Must be dried before boiling because the cold
water clinging to the stalks is likely to chill the
boiling water too much in which the asparagus is to be
cooked. Apicius here reveals himself as the consummate
cook who is familiar with the finest detail of physical
and chemical changes which food undergoes at varying
temperatures.

The various editions all agree: _asparagos siccabis_;
Schuch, however, says: "For the insane _siccabis_ I
substitute _siciabis_, _isiciabis_, prepare with _sicio_
[?] and cook." He even goes on to interpret it _cucabis_
from the Greek _kouki_, cocoanut milk, and infers that
the asparagus was first cooked in cocoanut milk and then
put back into water, a method we are tempted to
pronounce insane.

[2] V. Backwards! G.-V. _rursum in calidam_; Tac.
_rursus in aquam calidam_; Tor. _ac rursus ..._

This word has caused us some reflection, but the ensuing
discovery made it worth while. _Rursus_ has escaped the
attention of the other commentators. In this case
_rursus_ means backwards, being a contraction from
_revorsum_, h.e. _reversum_. The word is important
enough to be observed.

Apicius evidently has the right way of cooking the fine
asparagus. The stalks, after being peeled and washed
must be bunched together and tied according to sizes,
and the bunches must be set into the boiling water
"backwards," that is, they must stand upright with the
heads protruding from the water. The heads will be made
tender above the water line by rising steam and will be
done simultaneously with the harder parts of the stalks.
We admit, we have never seen a modern cook observe this
method. They usually boil the tender heads to death
while the lower stalks are still hard.

Though this formula is incomplete (it fails to state the
sauce to be served, also that the asparagus must be
peeled and bunched, that the water must contain salt,
etc.) it is one of the neatest form