Wild leek

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The name Wild leek can also refer to Allium ampeloprasum, a native of Europe.
iWild leek or ramp

Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantaeia
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Liliopsida
Order: Asparagales
Family: Alliaceae
Subfamily: Allioideae
Tribe: Allieae
Genus: Allium
Species: A. tricoccum
Binomial name
Allium tricoccum
Blanco
Bulb of the wild leek
Enlarge
Bulb of the wild leek

Wild leeks (Allium tricoccum), also known as ramps, are a member of the onion family (Alliaceae). Both the white root and the broad green leaves are edible. They are found from the U.S. state of South Carolina to Canada and are especially popular in the cuisine of the US state of West Virginia when they emerge in the springtime. A common description of the flavor is like a combination of onions and strong garlic.

In central Appalachia, ramps are most commonly fried with potatoes in bacon grease or scrambled with eggs and served with bacon, pinto beans, and cornbread. Ramps, however, are quite adaptable to almost any food style and can also be used in soups, puddings, ketchup, guacamole and other foods, in place of onions and garlic. Some people like them raw, but others say the aroma of raw wild leeks stays with one for days.

The community of Richwood, West Virginia holds the annual Feast of the Ramson in April. Sponsored by the National Ramp Association, the 'ramp feed' (as it is locally known) brings thousands of ramp aficianados from considerable distances to sample foods featuring the plant.

Contents

[edit] Trivia

  • The name of the U.S. city Chicago originates from "Checagou" (Chick-Ah-Goo-Ah) or "Checaguar," which in the Potawatomi language means "wild onions" or "skunk." The area was so named because of the smell of rotting marshland wild leeks (ramps) that used to cover it.
  • The strong smell of leeks is also said to keep away vampires in folklore, much like garlic.

[edit] Ramps in fiction

  • The protagonist of JT LeRoy's novel Sarah encounters ramps for the first time at a truck stop in the wilds of West Virginia, and eating them becomes a rite of passage.

[edit] See Also

[edit] External links

[edit] Reference

  • Jane Snow, "Hankering For Ramps", The Akron Beacon Journal, April 21, 2004, pp. E1, E4-E5.
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