On Food and Cooking

rhabarbarum, that is native to temperate
Eurasia and became popular in early 19th-
century England as one of the first fruit-like
produce items to appear in the early spring.
The rhubarb root had long been used as a
cathartic in Chinese medicine, and traded
widely as a medicinal. The stalks were also
used as a vegetable in Iran and Afghanistan
(in stews, with spinach) and in Poland (with
potatoes). By the 18th century the English
were using them to make sweet pies and tarts.
The 19th century brought better varieties and
techniques for digging up mature roots and
forcing rapid stalk growth in warm dark
sheds, which produced sweeter, tenderer
stalks. These improvements, cheaper sugar,
and a growing supply resulted in a rhubarb
boom, which peaked between the world wars.
Rhubarb stalks may be red with
anthocyanin pigments, green, or an
intermediate shade, depending on the variety
and production techniques. Their acidity is