Leek is part of the same family as onion and garlic. It is a resistant vegetable that we find all year round on market stalls. Its subtle and delicate flavor perfectly decorates soups and salads. It is currently the most consumed ninth vegetable in Canada.
Leek characteristics
- Little caloric;
- Rich in fibers;
- Source of antioxidants;
- Source of vitamin C and B9;
- Protective effect against certain cancers.
Leek nutritional and calorie values
For 100 grams of cooked leaks:- Nutrients Average content
- Energy 25 kcal
- Water 92 g
- Protein 1.1 g
- Carbohydrates 3 g
- Lipids 0.2 g
- Dietary fiber 3.2 g
- Calcium 25.6 mg
- Copper 0.12 mg
- Iron 0.34 mg
- Iodine 10 µg
- Magnesium 8.45 mg
- Manganese 0.075 mg
- Phosphorus 20 mg
- Potassium 151 mg
- Selenium 10 µg
- Sodium 5.8 mg
- Zinc 0.1 mg
- Beta carotene 94 µg
- Vitamin E 0.5 mg
- Vitamin K1 25.4 µg
- Vitamin C 1.3 mg
- Vitamin B1 or Thiamine 0.05 mg
- Vitamin B2 or Riboflavin 0.05 mg
- Vitamin B3 or pp or niacin 0.05 mg
- Vitamin B5 or pantothenic acid 0.05 mg
- Vitamin B6 0.06 mg
- Vitamin B9 or total folate 21.2 µg
The leek is weakly calorie with 25 cal/100 g. Little rich in vitamin C but rich in beta-carotene and fiber.
Leek benefits: why eat it?
The nutritional benefits of the leek are numerous and not negligible.
Rich in water therefore diuretic
The leek is rich in water which allows it to participate in our daily water needs. Rich in potassium and low in sodium, leek plays an important diuretic role.
Fiber source
The leek is rich in fibers which will allow to stimulate and regularize intestinal transit.
Stimulates the immune system
Leek is a source of vitamin C which stimulates the immune system, participates in the formation of collagen and the proper functioning of the nervous system, and stimulates the absorption of iron.
Rich in antioxidants
It contains sulfur compounds and antioxidants which allow it to prevent certain cancers.
Group B vitamins
Leek is a source of vitamin B6 which plays a role in energy, the nervous system, the synthesis of proteins, the formation of red blood cells, and the reduction of fatigue.
Source of vitamin B9, provides cell renewal, very interesting for pregnant women for the development of the fetus, and in growing children, as well as for convalescent people.
The word of nutritionist
The leek is full of vitamins and minerals. It is best to steam it rather than water to preserve a maximum of minerals and vitamins during cooking.
Leek green is not to be overlooked because it is very interesting on the nutritional level, in particular with its beta-carotene intake.
Choosing the right leek
During its harvest, the leek is composed of engaging leaves forming at their base a cylinder whose buried, white,, and tender part is the most appreciated.
Leek identity card
- Family: Alliacées;
- Origin: Middle East;
- Season: between September and April;
- Color: green and white;
- Flavor: delicate.
The different varieties
The varieties depend on the time of harvest. The leeks harvested between early May and early July are called primary leeks. They are fine and small while the leeks harvested in autumn and winter are of larger caliber.
Purchase of leek
The leek stem must be straight, fleshy, firm, shiny white, without brownish stains. The leaves should be very green, not withered, yellowed, or dried up.
Keep it
In the refrigerator: at temperatures close to the freezing point and high relative humidity, the leak can be kept for two to three months. Its leaves will probably turn yellow, but the white will remain healthy. On the other hand, the small primeur leek only keeps in the refrigerator.
In the freezer: Cut into rings and blanch a few minutes in boiling water before freezing them. Remember to freeze some of the green leaves for broths.
Leek preparation
There are different ways to cook leek.
How to cook it? How to match it?
Preparation :
- First, remove the first peel and cut the root.
- Put the leek in four starting from the tail to mid-white and wash with large water, eliminating sand and earth.
- Cut into sections, in rings or diagonals. To cut into juliennes, cut into sections, split and chop lengthwise. Leek green is much more fibrous than white, cut it finely before adding it to cooked dishes. If you prefer not to prepare the green part, reserve it for broths.
Recipe ideas:
Young leeks can be consumed raw, with a salt crunch. Cut them into rings and then detach them into rings. They will enhance lettuce leaves, or tomato or cucumber slices. Raw and chiseled, the leek perfectly accompanies the potatoes in salads;
Serve the leek as a starter, steamed and sprinkled with a vinaigrette, or with beets;
In omelettes, soufflés or quiches;
On pasta;
In the bouquet garni;
- Grilled in the barbecue or in the pan;
- Leek vinegar. Macerate some raw vegetable slices in vinegar for ten days. This will give a particular flavor to the vinaigrette. Use it to deglaze a pan;
- Traditional soup with leeks and potatoes. Cook the leeks and potatoes in water and go to the mixer. Salt, pepper, and that's it! To vary, cook the vegetables in chicken broth;
- Simply cut the leek into sections and cook it in salted water. Then put in a gratin dish, salt, and pepper, add nutmeg, sprinkle with Gruyère or Emmental and a thin layer of breadcrumbs, and put in the oven for ten minutes;
- Make a coulis to coat a fish, seafood, or meat. First, cut the leek with the green part into rings, and cook it in butter until tender. Then go through a sieve to harvest the cooking juices and mix them with a little fresh cream or, for a more tart flavor, yogurt. Salt, pepper, add thyme;
- Flamiche is a pie with leeks in the north of France. Spread in a puff pastry or broken a preparation composed of leek white cut into thin rings, cooked in butter and a little water, and embellished with crème fraîche. Add a few dry bacon slices to a pan. Beat egg yolks with a whole egg, add fresh cream, nutmeg, salt, and pepper,, and pour over the leeks. Cook for half an hour in the oven. Add grated cheese if desired;
- In the Piedmont region, in Italy, a cheese is made, the root, made of goat milk and seasoned with a juniper distillate or a leek infusion.
Contraindications and allergies
Leek allergy is rare but it should be not recommended in the event of urinary lithiasis.
Urinary calculations
Some people may be recommended to adopt a restricted oxalates diet to prevent recurrences of kidney or urinary calculations (also called urinary lithiasis). Oxalates are compounds found in several foods, including leek. It is therefore not recommended that these people consume them.
Allergy
The reported cases of leek allergy are rather rare. However, an allergic person to other vegetables from the Alliacée family may react to the consumption of leek. Indeed, cross-reactions with garlic, onion, chives, and leek are likely to arrive and may be caused by an allergen common to these vegetables. A person suffering from an allergy to one of these foods could therefore also be allergic to another food from this family.
Leek History
Appearing in the French language in 1268, the term "leek" is an alteration, under the influence of "pear", of the word "porreau", which formerly designated this vegetable. Besides, he is sometimes still employed in Canada countryside. In the Middle Ages, the traditional leeks soup was called "Porée". Surprisingly, "Poirée" came to designate the Bette à Cards, which has nothing to do with the leek, simply because it was a vegetable that also entered the pot. Recall that the leek has often been described as "the poor asparagus".
According to the new botanical nomenclature, plants of the Allium genre now belong to the family of alliays. They are still sometimes classified as liliaceae or amaryllidae.
The emblem of Wales
The Welshmen adopted the leek as an emblem, to celebrate a famous victory. During this decisive battle, they had inserted a leek into their hat to recognize themselves. It was the bishop of the Celtic Church that would have had the idea. Today, he has become Saint David, the boss of the country. We made the anniversary of his death (March 1) on Saint-David day, which we celebrate by wearing a leek.
Like onion and garlic, leek comes from the Middle East and Southwest Asian. It would have been domesticated several millennia before our era. Adopted by the Greeks and the Romans, they spread the leek throughout Europe. The leek was, it seems, Nero's favorite food which would have consumed it regularly in order to maintain its vocal cords. The name "porrophagus" (leek eater) was also given to the tyrannical emperor.
In America, the colonists and the Amerindians cultivated him at the end of the 18th century. However, he will never take great importance from it, either in Asia. In Europe, it is cultivated especially in the center and the west. On their own, France and Belgium produce half of all the leeks consumed on this continent.
First bulb plant, like onion and garlic, leek has become what it is today under pressure from the selection by gardeners. Very early on, they tried to reduce the size of its bulb and increase the length of its white barrel compared to that of green foliage.
For further
Organic gardening
Three hundred years before our era, the Greek philosopher Démocritus advised to soak the seeds of all varieties of vegetables in juice or a leek infusion before putting them in the ground. The purpose of this operation was to limit the diseases that are propagated by the seed. The technique has the merit of not being toxic, unlike the fungicides which are used in trade to treat seeds.
The selectors have developed varieties for summer, fall, or winter, making it possible to cultivate the leek for a good part of the year. Protected from the cold weather thanks to mulch, the winter leeks can be harvested in the spring.
To have young leeks throughout the summer and fall, we will sow in bins or boxes at regular intervals, from February to the end of June. From April, we can also sow them directly in the ground. On the other hand, large winter leeks must be sown very early (February or March), because they require a long season to mature. At the time of transplantation, cut the roots to 1 cm and the leaves to 5 cm.
Organic manure is very favorable to leek, even when manure is recent and is not well decomposed. Be careful, however, to eliminate any risk of contamination by fecal coliforms. In most specifications of organic certification organizations, it is stipulated that it cannot be harvested with vegetables on land enriched with fresh manure (therefore not composted) only eight months or more after the burial of manure.
The leek and celery association (or Céleri-Rave) is deemed beneficial for the two plants. However, as celery risks shadowing the leek, which would not support it, they must be cultivated in neighboring platforms rather than in the same. If the rows are oriented east-west, ensure that the leeks are planted on the south side. On the other hand, when we plant them in the middle of the celery, the leeks grow higher and the white part of the barrel is much longer. This is an advantage from which we can take advantage, knowing, however, that they will never become as large as if they were cultivated alone or placed south of the Celery.
To make the leeks bleach, they are stuck during the season where the board is placed on both sides of the barrel to exclude light.
At the end of the season, enter the leeks that remain in a cellar while keeping as much soil as possible around the foot. Planted in boxes filled with land, they quietly continue their growth. Deprived of light, the leaves are yellow and, therefore, expect.
Ecology and environment
In France, Thrips (pest insects) are a problem for the chip holder leeks. It was necessary to find a biological solution (PBI or integrated biological protection) to fight them without jeopardizing the populations of pollinating insects. The latter are deliberately released during this period because they are necessary for the production of seeds. It was discovered that the larvae of another insect, the chrysop, devoured thrips. The results fully satisfy producers of leek seeds. Also, the environment is a little better protected against the harmful action of chemicals.