Original photo by PA Images/ Alamy Stock Photo
Rhubarb may be best known as a tart springtime ingredient that introduces a bright, distinct tang to otherwise sweet desserts, but not all rhubarb is grown in the light of day, or even in spring at all. In parts of England, a special variety is harvested by candlelight in the depths of winter, producing stalks that are quite different from their more common counterparts.
In a 9-square-mile area known as the “Rhubarb Triangle” in England’s West Yorkshire county, the plant is grown in total darkness and harvested by candlelight. This technique dates back to the early 1800s, when farmers realized moving rhubarb plants indoors after frost began to hit the fields could trick the plants into thinking it was spring, reawakening the roots and forcing them to grow quickly in the warm, dark sheds.
According to a Smithsonian Magazine interview with London horticulturalist Helena Dove, the plant “panics” without sunlight. Over the following eight weeks, it enters a growing frenzy, aggressively using its stored energy and growing upward in an attempt to seek out light. It grows so fast, it even makes noise: In the otherwise silent sheds, farmers say they can hear the stalks creaking as they reach up into the darkness.
As the plants stretch quickly in search of sun, their cells elongate as well, rendering the stalks more tender. The plant also draws on its stash of stored sugars to grow, making for noticeably sweeter rhubarb.
To achieve this coveted texture and flavor, the harvest, like the growing, must happen in darkness. Workers move quietly between rows, handpicking each stalk, while candles elevated on spikes glow around them. The dim setting helps prevent any chemical changes from sudden light exposure, and though the process is labor-intensive, the result is a product chefs and foodies seek out each winter.
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In 19th-century cookbooks, rhubarb was also referred to as the “______ plant.”
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In 19th-century cookbooks, rhubarb was also referred to as the “pie plant.”
Rhubarb was once at the center of a court case.
In 1947, a debate took place in a United States customs court to determine whether fresh rhubarb imported from Canada should be classified as a fruit or a vegetable. The stakes? A 15% difference in tariffs. Rhubarb is technically a vegetable by botanical definitions, but by arguing that rhubarb is typically stewed with sugar, served with cream, or baked into pie, attorney Joseph Schwartz made the case that it should be classified as a fruit.
A customs official, however, disagreed: He claimed he personally ate rhubarb as a side dish with dinner, making it fill more of a traditional vegetable role. The court considered these culinary uses, as well as dictionary definitions and an 1893 Supreme Court case that ruled that tomatoes were vegetables for tariff purposes even though they meet the botanical definition of a fruit.
In rhubarb’s case, the sweet-leaning use won out and the court formally ruled it a fruit. This decision didn’t last forever, though; under the current international tariff system, rhubarb is again classified as a vegetable.
Nicole is a writer, thrift store lover, and group-chat meme spammer based in Ontario, Canada.
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