For all its splendor, asparagus has kept a low profile in the Czech Republic, thanks largely to its communist denigration as an Epicurean extravagance.

"The communist regime, which managed to ideologize simply everything, considered this vegetable a 'bourgeois delicacy' and abolished the famed Bohemian, Moravian and Slovak asparagus fields, which had a 50-year tradition," says Tomáš Konopka, a chef and culinary adviser for Nestlé who led a recent seminar about the vegetable. What little asparagus did appear here was of the canned variety. "More often, it was seen, overgrown, as a part of cut-flower arrangements," he says.

But the aura of exclusivity surrounding this succulent and tender spring vegetable is starting to fade, and asparagus is making a comeback.

"The majority of people in this country have tasted canned asparagus and view it as a boring ingredient." says Konopka. "After tasting it fresh, there is a radical change in opinion, and now consumers are actively seeking out this delicacy."

A number of restaurants now hold an "asparagus week." For example, the restaurants at the Renaissance and the Marriott hotels (both on V Celnici street in Prague 1) are in the midst of celebrating the vegetable in everything from soup to risotto.

"After returning from working abroad, a number of Czech cooks are trying to cook in a modern and healthful way — Czech gastronomy has taken a big step in this direction," Konopka says. Asparagus is a powerhouse of health. It's considered one of the most nutritionally well-balanced vegetables in existence.

Even though you can now order or buy asparagus year-round — imported during the winter months from the Southern Hemisphere — throughout Europe it still remains a symbol of spring. And the asparagus season is at its peak now.

Much of the asparagus for sale in this country is trucked in from southern Slovakia. Czech asparagus is seldom seen, but it can sometimes be purchased directly from growers. In Bohemia it was traditionally grown in the Kralupy region, most famously in the Moravian town of Ivančice, where asparagus-growing took root during the Austro-Hungarian Empire and the product often graced the imperial table of Franz Josef I, who named grower A. Worel the court supplier of the vegetable.

The town is revitalizing the tradition of the once world-renowned "Ivančice spargl," holding its 12th annual Asparagus Celebration May 19–20.

There was a movement several years ago to spark asparagus growing in the Czech Republic, but it didn't really take off, mainly because it is such a drain on farmers' resources of land and labor and requires a big initial investment. Also, it has to be harvested by hand, daily, during its four- to eight-week season. If the fast-growing spears aren't cut back frequently, the yield will be greatly reduced.

Asparagus, a member of the lily family, is an almost leafless perennial. The fleshy spears we buy in the store are the shoots from an underground crown, or root, system that takes up to three years to develop enough to begin producing shoots. Once established, it comes up every spring for as long as 20 years, but is at peak quality for only a few years before it starts to slowly decline in flavor.

Other factors — the way asparagus ties up farmland that can't be used for other purpose during the root-development period, plus the vegetable's heavy fertilizing and weed-control requirements — add to its justifiable expense.

The asparagus seen in this country is generally the white variety, which has a more delicate flavor and tender texture than the grassy-tasting green type. White asparagus is raised undercover — blanched, as with endive — to inhibit the development of chlorophyll, thus creating its distinctive pale coloring. It is generally more expensive than the green variety, since its production is more labor-intensive.

Konopka says it's best to use asparagus as soon as possible after purchasing. The vegetable loses moisture quickly, and if the time between picking and eating is too long, it becomes fibrous and starts to lose flavor.

Asparagus can be tricky to prepare because the tops of the spears don't need much cooking at all, while the lower parts of the stalks need more time. If you are a true aficionado of this vegetable, you might consider purchasing one of those special tall, narrow steamers that allow asparagus to be prepared to perfection — the tips are steamed while the thick stalks are cooked thoroughly in boiling water.

According to Konopka, asparagus is most often served here boiled with Hollandaise sauce or in cream of asparagus soup. Also highly popular are asparagus tart and asparagus risotto.