Leek
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
(unranked):	Angiosperms
(unranked):	Monocots
Order:	Asparagales
Family:	Amaryllidaceae
Subfamily:	Allioideae
Genus:	Allium
Species:	A. ampeloprasum
Subspecies:	A. ampeloprasum var. porrum
Trinomial name
Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum (L.) J.Gay

The leek, Allium ampeloprasum var. porrum (L.), also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs, along with the onion and garlic, to family Amaryllidaceae, subfamily Allioideae.^[1] Two related vegetables, the elephant garlic and kurrat, are also variant subspecies of Allium ampeloprasum, although different in their uses as food.

The edible part of the leek plant is a bundle of leaf sheaths which is sometimes erroneously called a stem or stalk.

Form[link]

Rather than forming a tight bulb like the onion, the leek produces a long cylinder of bundled leaf sheaths which are generally blanched by pushing soil around them (trenching). They are often sold as small seedlings in flats which are started off early in greenhouses, to be planted out as weather permits. Once established in the garden, leeks are hardy; many varieties can be left in the ground during the winter to be harvested as needed.

Cultivars[link]

Leek cultivars can be subdivided in several ways, but the most common types are "summer leeks", intended for harvest in the season when planted, and overwintering leeks, meant to be harvested in the spring of the year following planting. Summer leek types are generally smaller than overwintering types; overwintering types are generally more strongly flavoured. Cultivars include 'King Richard' and 'Tadorna Blue'.

Growing[link]

Leeks are easy to grow from seed and tolerate standing in the field for an extended harvest. Leeks usually reach maturity in the autumn months, and they have few pest or disease problems. Leeks can be bunched and harvested early when they are about the size of a finger or pencil, or they can be thinned and allowed to grow to a much larger mature size. Hilling leeks can produce better specimens.

Cuisine[link]

Fresh leek sautéing

Section and root base

Leek has a mild onion-like taste. In its raw state, the vegetable is crunchy and firm. The edible portions of the leek are the white base of the leaves (above the roots and stem base), the light green parts, and to a lesser extent the dark green parts of the leaves. One of the most popular uses is for adding flavor to stock. The dark green portion is usually discarded because it has a tough texture, but they can be sauteed or added to stock.^[2] A few leaves are sometimes tied with twine and other herbs to form a bouquet garni.

Leek is typically chopped into slices 5–10 mm thick. The slices have a tendency to fall apart, due to the layered structure of the leek. There are different ways of preparing the vegetable:

• Boiled, which turns it soft and mild in taste. (Care should be taken to chop the vegetable, or else the intact fibers which run the length of the vegetable will tangle into a ball while chewing.)
• Fried, which leaves it crunchier and preserves the taste.
• Raw, which can be used in salads, doing especially well when they are the prime ingredient.

Leeks are an ingredient of cock-a-leekie soup, leek and potato soup and vichyssoise, as well as plain leek soup.

Because of their symbolism in Wales (see below), they have come to be used extensively in that country’s cuisine. Elsewhere in Britain, leeks have come back into favour only in the last fifty years or so, having been overlooked for several centuries.^[3]

Historical consumption[link]

Dried specimens from archaeological sites in ancient Egypt, as well as wall carvings and drawings, led Zohary and Hopf to conclude that the leek was a part of the Egyptian diet “from at least the 2nd millennium BCE onwards.” They also allude to surviving texts that show it had been also grown in Mesopotamia from the beginning of the 2nd millennium BCE.^[4] The leek was the favourite vegetable of the Emperor Nero, who consumed it in soup or in oil, believing it beneficial to the quality of his voice.^[5]

Cultural significance[link]

Leeks for sale

The leek is one of the national emblems of Wales, worn along with the daffodil (in Welsh, the daffodil is known as "Peter's Leek," Cenhinen Bedr) on St. David’s Day. According to one legend, King Cadwaladr of Gwynedd ordered his soldiers to identify themselves by wearing the vegetable on their helmets in an ancient battle against the Saxons that took place in a leek field. This story may have been made up by the English poet Michael Drayton, but it is known that the leek has been a symbol of Wales for a long time; Shakespeare, for example, refers to the custom of wearing a leek as an “ancient tradition” in Henry V. In the play, Henry tells Fluellen that he is wearing a leek “for I am Welsh, you know, good countryman.” The 1985 and 1990 British one pound coins bear the design of a leek in a coronet, representing Wales.

Perhaps the most visible use of the leek, however, is as the cap badge of the Welsh Guards, a regiment within the Household Division of the British Army.

In Romania, the leek is also widely considered a symbol of Oltenia, a historical region in the south-western part of the country.

Gallery[link]

See also[link]

• Culture of Wales
• Kurrat, Egyptian Leek
• Laukaz, a rune that has been speculated to mean “leek”
• List of vegetables
• Loituma Girl, also known as "Leekspin"
• Scallion
• Welsh onion
• Wild leek, also known as ramps

Notes[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Allium ampeloprasum

Wikibooks Cookbook has a recipe/module on Leek

• Allium ampeloprasum L. on US National PLANTS Database
• Allium porrum L. on US National PLANTS Database
• Allium ampeloprasum, Porrum on Floridata
• Leek: Plants For a Future database
• Food Museum page

Moses Barrett III (born July 22, 1973),^[1][2] known by the stage name Petey Pablo, is an American rapper from Greenville, North Carolina.

Biography[link]

Born in Greenville, North Carolina, Barrett spent five years in prison for a 1993 armed robbery and on his release moved to New York City, where he met Black Rob and Busta Rhymes, and, according to legend, was signed by the A&R director of Jive Records after hearing him rapping in a club bathroom.^[1][3]

Musical career[link]

[edit] 2001-2002: Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry

After a few guest spots, his first solo single was "Raise Up" in 2001 at the age of 28, produced by Timbaland, followed by debut album Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry the same year.^[3] "Raise Up" was helped by rotation on MTV and heavy play on urban radio, reaching number 25 on the Billboard Hot 100 and topping the Hot Rap Singles Chart.^[4]

[edit] 2003-2004: Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry

The release of his second album, Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry, was delayed until 2004.^[3] Lead single from the album, the sexually-explicit "Freek-a-Leek" was another major success, reaching #7 in the Hot 100, although little chart success followed. In 2005 Petey Pablo formed a relationship with Suge Knight, but never signed an official contract with his former label Death Row Records.^[5]

Present status[link]

Barrett currently resides in Wake Forest, North Carolina, where he is working under his own label: Carolina Music Group, or CMG.^[4] He released the first single from the new album on July 22, 2010 entitled "Go", produced by Timbaland.^[6] In January 2012, he has recorded and released his new song "What I Stand For" featuring rapper/singer Stuicide, and album Carolina #1, available for download online.

Arrest[link]

On September 11, 2010, he was arrested at Raleigh-Durham International Airport after allegedly trying to carry a 9mm automatic pistol aboard a US Airways flight bound for Los Angeles.^[7] On September 26, 2011 Pablo was sentenced to 35 months in jail for this incident. It is unclear when he will begin to serve time.^[8]

Film career[link]

• In 2002 Petey played himself in the film Drumline performing "Club Banger", "You Can Find Me", and "Raise Up/I Told Y'All.^[9]
• In 2009 Petey played a character named B-Bone in the film Just Another Day. The film is about the intersecting lives of an aspiring rapper and an old successful rapper over the course of one day. B-Bone is another successful rapper that has a beef with the successful rapper, A-maze.^[10]

Discography[link]

Studio albums

• 2001: Diary of a Sinner: 1st Entry
• 2004: Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry
• 2012: Carolina #1

References[link]

External links[link]

• Petey Pablo entry at Allmusic
• Petey Pablo on Myspace
• Petey Pablo on Twitter
• Petey Pablo video interview with Money Train & Thenkman on YouTube