Is asparagus generally recognized as the best vegetable, and why?
Don't really like to define one vegtable as better than another, but Asparagus has always had a reputation as a luxury item. A combination of the expense of producing it (You cannot get a high yield, plus it takes a number of years to develop a productive asparagus bed) and a relatively short season (At least in the UK) meant it would be a rare treat for most people. Of course now with it imported from all round the world, it is much less so.