Why do people generally discard the upper portion of leeks?

Question

I watched several youtube videos where they show how to cut and cook leeks.

They all discard the greener-upper portion of the plant.

Why is that?

If I cook the upper portion will it be inedible?

Answer 1

Because these recipes are for the white part of the leek, no other reason.

There are recipes for leek-whites only, for leek-greens only, and for whole leeks. Which ones is used in your recipe is up to the people who created the recipe. Both parts are entirely edible and tasty, but they have a different flavor.

I have observed some regional differences in leek usage. Most French recipes tend to use white only, many German recipes use green only, and most Balkan recipes use both. This isn't based on any systematic study though, just on cooking recipes from these regions, and on talking with people coming from them, so it could be very skewed.

Interestingly, my German and French acquaintances assured me that in their families, the respectively other part of the leek was thrown out, and I think none of them was aware that it's edible, or rather that it's worth eating.

Answer 2

In the US, England, and most other English-speaking areas, the dark green portion of the leek is fibrous and often has a "soapy" flavor which detracts from the flavor of the dish. It's not a good idea even to use those for vegetable stock, as the overall flavor is unpleasant.

Leek varieties grown elsewhere, such as Germany or Korea, have edible, better-tasting leek tops.

Answer 3

I was never taught to cook properly, and vegetables weren't really used in my home growing up, so, when I started cooking, I would always use the entire leek. It was only a couple years later that I found you're not supposed to use the green part of leeks.

I absolutely hate food waste, so I still use the green part of leeks. I don't cook with leeks all that often, but the green part tastes ok to me and I'm happy to use it in frittatas and soups. If you don't want to discard the green part of leeks, but you don't want to use it in your recipe, you can save it to make stock, or you can slice it very thinly, sauté it and use it on soups and stews.

Answer 4

The upper greener part of the leek is the best part. It has the highest content in vitamins and minerals, and also has the most flavour. It can be a bit fibrous, so I prefer to slice it extra thinly.

Leek should be reasonably thick with a long white stem and fresh green leaves. The root base is cut off, and wilted, ugly leaves are discarded. The leek is split a little and rinsed well.

Note! Do not remove more than necessary of the green leaves, which are the most vitamin rich on the leek.

Use: Boiled, presented as asparagus, or together with various meat dishes, with gratins, and soups. Also raw in various salads. Leaves cut into fine ribbons can be used as garnish.

(My translation)

Source: Gyldendals store kokebok, Ingrid Espelid Hovig, 3rd edition, 1979.

Answer 5

Leek tops, like the tops of most mature aliums, are tough and fibrous and have relatively little taste. Leek tops won't be inedible by any means, particularly if you slice them thinly, but the dish would likely have a better texture, or at least be about the same, if you left them out.

Answer 6

There are three factors that I know of which contribute to this:

1. The flavor of the whites and the greens is different. If the dish relies heavily on the leek for flavor, and it was intended to be made with the the whites, then it will taste different if you use the whole leek, or if you just use the greens. Which gets used varies by cuisine, though most usage I know of from continental Europe seems to prefer either the whites or whole leeks.
2. The greens, especially the darkest green parts, are very fibrous on mature leeks, and this can have a nontrivial impact on texture in the final dish. If it’s something you’re going to purée anyway (say, German kartoffelsuppe) then this may not matter, but if they’re left whole it quite often will.
3. It can be very difficult to find leeks that come out to exactly the amount you need for a given recipe, especially in parts of the world where they are not a staple. In these cases, unless you have some use for the rest of the leek, you’re stuck discarding some of it, and the second factor mentioned above means that the greens make the most sense to discard unless you need them in the recipe for some reason.

Answer 7

I wouldn't use the green parts directly in a dish (fibrous, not particularly tasty as mentioned by many above) but what I will do is freeze them, and add them to the pot whenever I'm making stock next.