After the long winter months in Italy, countryside trails become filled with hikers, bikers, and foragers in search of wild herbs and vegetables. The most notable and sought-after vegetable for foraging in spring is asparagus. Called sparasine in Italian, wild asparagus has a stronger, more intense taste than its cultivated kin, and can be found all across the country. Though tricky to find at first, sparasine hide under feathery green “mother” bushes, and if foragers keep an eye out for these bushes, they’ll have an easy time finding their quarry.

Wild asparagus, or *sparasine*, grow beneath feathery green “mother” bushes.

Italians put sparasine into all sorts of spring dishes, including risotto, salad, omlettes and frittatas, and soups. But most importantly, these dishes make the sparasine the star of the show. A simple online search will yield dozens of spring Italian recipes that feature wild asparagus. One recipe we recommend is a simple pasta dish with spaghetti—or Umbrian stringozzi if you have it—and asparagus sauteed in garlic and olive oil, topped with parmesan and lemon zest.