Emperors, kings, sultans?

Royalty is about having high tastes, but sometimes the blue-blooded also enjoy things popular with common people. One thing they share with the masses is often not known: Asparagus. Throughout the Mediterranean basin, from Spain to Turkey, peasants and the poor forage for the wild variety every spring; horses and cattle like to graze on it from Poland to Siberia. This spring delicacy is equally enjoyed by all, but with a class difference. The better off enjoy the luxurious cultivated vegetable while the less privileged settle for the wild shoots, but in general perception the sprout remains a bourgeoning taste of the bourgeois. 

History records that sovereignty and asparagus go hand in hand. King Louis XIV had special green houses built for growing it in the gardens of Versailles; it was a favorite of French haute cuisine, often regarded as the "King of Vegetables," or even more appropriately, the "Vegetable of Kings." Long before the French, it was appreciated in both the ancient Egypt and Roman dynasties. Emperor Augustus had an "Asparagus Fleet" for reaping the young shoots. It is not hard to imagine that Caesar and Cleopatra might have had a feast on asparagus, especially given the fact that aphrodisiac qualities are often attributed to the sprout. Caesar is said to have had a fondness for it, with an added touch of a few drops of rose oil. Maybe it was pure sophistication, or an attempt to overcome the aftermath effects of savoring the delicate sprout. Whoever eats asparagus must know the next pee is notoriously foul smelling. Some are lucky not to notice it as they cannot detect the smell, but some are overly sensitive to asparagine, the element that is contained in asparagus that makes our visit to the bathroom an unpleasant experience. Well, even...