When I was growing up, we didn't have room for much more than tomatoes and peppers in our little city back yard. But we always had rhubarb, divided from plants that grew at my aunt and uncle's country place near Slippery Rock.

My dad, who grew up eating it from the back yard of his friend's house across Shadyside's Myrtle Way in the 1930s, had to have his rhubarb each spring. Still does.

Mostly my parents stewed it; we spooned it, hot or cold, stringy and sweet-tart, onto toast and vanilla ice cream. My mother made pies, too.

So we were initiated early into the tribe. Not everyone likes rhubarb, you know. Some people pucker up just thinking about it, and not in a good way.

The rhubarb patch was where our deck is now, and I never replaced it. But I know where to forage for it, and as soon as it becomes available and affordable at the grocery store or farmers market, I'm all over it.

That time is now. It's rhubarb season.

As a grownup, I've learned there's more to rhubarb than stewing and pies. There's preserves, upside-down cakes, tarts, puddings, breads, soups, sauces, sorbets, cookies, cobblers, crisps, muffins and more. Even drinks, as PG food editor Bob Batz Jr. discovered.

There's also a rich botanical, etymological and culinary history.

Any idea how rhubarb got its name? Good story: It comes from the Latin Rhabarbarian -- "Rha of the barbarians," Waverly Root wrote in his landmark compendium, "Food."

"Rha is the name of the river on whose banks rhubarb was cultivated by the barbarians. The name of the Rha today is the Volga; the barbarians who lived along it were Tartars."

The scientific name of our common garden rhubarb, Rheum rhaponticum, speaks of its itinerary as it made its way to the Romans and Greeks about 2000 years ago: The Rha (Volga) flows into the Pontus (Pontus Euxinus, the Black Sea).

Like most plants, rhubarb is a lot older than its name. It originated in northern Asia, where it grows wild. The first mention of the plant came in a Chinese herbal thought to date to 2700 B.C.

For several millennia in the East and for 16 centuries in the West, rhubarb was cultivated only for medicinal purposes; the root was used as a purgative. And while, in the early 17th century, English botanists were the first to regard rhubarb as edible, they picked the wrong part of the plant. They advised eating the leaves, which should never be consumed because they're poisonous.

The French mostly regard rhubarb as an English vegetable, Mr. Root wrote, noting that the dish it's most commonly used in -- pie -- is a dessert of Anglo-Saxon countries.

Yes, rhubarb is a vegetable, although we treat it and eat it like a fruit.

In 1866 Eliza Warren, in her book "How I Managed My House on Two Hundred Pounds ($1,000) a Year," praised rhubarb for its thrifty aspects; she could make a large tart with just a half pint of raspberries by mixing them with rhubarb, a staple of English gardens.

In another homemaking book, published in 1866 in London, John Timbs wrote that in the west of England, a farmer grew 12 to 20 acres of "gooseberry rhubarb" to make a sparkling wine he called Rhubarb Champagne. By "gooseberry rhubarb," perhaps he meant a variety that combines well with gooseberries to make the preserves and puddings popular in the U.K.

There are dozens of hybrid varieties of rhubarb falling into three types -- red, green and pink (sometimes called speckled). Color doesn't necessarily correlate with sweetness. Nutritionally, rhubarb supplies fiber, calcium, vitamins C and A, and iron.

One Englishwoman decidedly not a rhubarbarian was the late Jane Grigson, who regarded it, in "Jane Grigson's Fruit Book" (1982), as nanny-food, governess-food and school-meal-food. But even she had "one good memory," of sitting with her sister on a doorstep, dipping rhubarb stalks into a saucer of sugar.

"We dipped and chewed, dipped and chewed in the warm sun, with clucking hens stepping round us."

Although generations of Britons grew up loathing lunchroom rhubarb, it's enjoying a revival.

"Chefs are suddenly promoting rhubarb as the vegetable that it is, with a sharpness of flavour that sits well with oily fish and meat," wrote The Independent of London in 2004.

In England's "Rhubarb Triangle" in West Yorkshire, crimson-colored winter rhubarb has been grown since the 1870s in the dark, in forcing sheds where it's so quiet you can hear the plants grow.

There once were 190 small growers in the area around Leeds, Bradford and Wakefield, but exotic, imported fruits reduced the demand for winter rhubarb. Renewed culinary interest and the Wakefield Festival of Food, Drink and Rhubarb are bringing it back in novel ways. At this year's festival in February, cheesemongers Cryer & Stott promoted their award-winning Ruby Gold rhubarb cheese, a ewe's milk cheese described as having a flaky texture and zesty lemony flavor.

There are also rhubarb festivals in Colorado, Illinois, Oregon, Massachusetts, Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Canada and Australia.

The closest to Pittsburgh seems to be the 26th Annual Rhubarb Festival, held tomorrow and Saturday in Intercourse, Lancaster County. They'll crown a Rhubarb king and queen, demonstrate making rhubarb jams, hold a "Best Rhubarb Dessert in Lancaster County Baking Contest" and stage a Rhubarb Race Car Derby to benefit the Lancaster Farmland Trust.

In the home garden, rhubarb is the hollyhock of the vegetable patch, old-fashioned and reliable, returning year after year with welcome predictability.

But there's nothing old-fashioned about the way it's being prepared today. Chef Thomas Keller, for one, makes a dessert of Rhubarb Confit with Navel Oranges, Candied Fennel and Mascarpone Sorbet.

We wondered what other interesting things are being done with rhubarb, and found Jamie Oliver making a rhubarb-marinated pork dish and a rhubarb bellini and Ruth Cousineau putting a different spin on the classic strawberry-rhubarb combo.

Rhubarb-Apple Pie or Tart

PG tested

This one-crust pie or tart is spicy and retains that distinct, sharp rhubarb taste. It has the texture of a meatless mincemeat pie. I created the recipe a few years ago because I wanted a rhubarb pie that uses honey rather than sugar. I use the fragrant wildflower honey sold in bulk at the East End Food Co-op.

-- Patricia Lowry

• Crust for one 9-inch pie or tart pan
• 4 cups rhubarb, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 4 to 5 stalks)
• 1 Granny Smith apple, diced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup currants or raisins
• 1/4 cup minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Grated peel of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup honey</</ul>

  Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

  Prepare pie or tart crust and set aside.

  In a large bowl mix together rhubarb, apple, walnuts, raisins, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon zest. Add flour and stir to coat ingredients. Add honey and thoroughly combine with spatula.

  Pour filling into pie or tart shell and bake for 45 to 50 minutes on lowest rack of oven. Remove from oven and place on a cooking rack. With the back of a spoon, press down gently on top of filling to moisten exposed ingredients. Allow to cool for several hours or overnight in refrigerator before serving.

  Makes 8 to 10 servings.

  -- Patricia Lowry

  Rhubarb Pizza

  PG tested

  OK. So it's not really pizza or even Italian. But this sweet dessert is a slice of heaven nevertheless, and something even kids will enjoy. It's best served with a slightly softened scoop of vanilla ice cream.

  -- Gretchen McKay

  For the crust
  • 1 1/2-pound package puff pastry dough (2 sheets)
  • 1/4 cup yellow cornmeal
  • For the rhubarb puree
  • 3 cups of roughly chopped fresh rhubarb
  • 1 cup sugar
  • For the toppings
  • 1 cup pistachios, lightly toasted
  • 12 large strawberries cut into thin, circular disks
  • 1 cup dried prunes, pitted and diced
  • 8-ounce block of white chocolate for grating
  • 1 cup Galliano liquor
  To prepare crust and sauce

  On a floured board, roll each sheet of dough into a square about 11 by 11 inches and about 1/8-inch thick.

  Lay a 5-inch bowl upside down on dough, and using the rim as a pattern, cut out 4 circles per sheet with a paring knife.

  Combine remaining scraps of dough and repeat. You should be able to get at least 2 more 5-inch circles.

  Wash the rhubarb, trim off any leaves, and cut out any brown or bruised spots. Using a very sharp knife, roughly chop the stalks.

  In a 4-quart saucepan, combine sugar and rhubarb over medium heat.

  Bring just to a boil. Simmer until rhubarb is soft and looks thick like applesauce. Mash any lumps with a spoon.

  To assemble pizzas

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

  Sprinkle cornmeal on 2 large cookie sheets. Lay rounds of dough so they don't touch.

  Spread about 11/2 tablespoons of rhubarb puree evenly over each of the circles, leaving a 1/3-inch border of crust. Bake for 15 minutes or until pastry is crisp and golden brown.

  Remove from oven and place pistachios, strawberry slices and prunes on top to resemble pizza toppings.

  Place each pizza on a dessert plate and grate chocolate on top. Serve each with a scoop of ice cream, if desired.

  Makes 10 individual pizzas.

  -- "The Magical Melting Pot" by Michelle Greenwald (Cherry Press, $29.95)

  Rhubarb Bellini

  PG tested

  This is based on the classic bellini, made with peach.

  • 3/4 pound rhubarb, trimmed and finely sliced
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • A bottle of bubbly, such as prosecco or Champagne

  Get yourself a small pan and throw in the rhubarb, sugar and a couple of tablespoons of water. Put a lid on top, bring to the boil and simmer for a couple of minutes.

  Remove the lid and simmer for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally, until you get a thick compote consistency.

  Whiz up with an immersion blender or in a standard blender until you have a lovely smooth puree.

  Leave to cool, then stir again and divide the puree between 6 glasses.

  Pour over your prosecco or Champagne, stirring as you pour, with a long spoon or something similar, until the glass is 3/4 full. Top it up with bubbles and you're done. Cheers!

  -- "Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life" by Jamie Oliver (Hyperion, 2007)

  My Favorite Hot and Sour Fhubarb and Crispy Pork With Noodles

  PG tested

  I have so much in common with Jamie Oliver, the handsome, charming and internationally known food figure. Well, I have one thing in common with him: We both love rhubarb. He devotes a chapter-ette to it in his book "Jamie at Home," which includes a half-dozen killer recipes. This one is delicious, especially when preceded with his drink recipe below it. Or as Jamie puts it, "bloody hell, what a dish!"

  -- Bob Batz Jr.

  For the marinade
  • 14 ounces rhubarb
  • 4 tablespoons honey
  • 4 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 4 garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 fresh chilis, halved and deseeded
  • 1 heaped teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder
  • Thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  For the rest
  • 2.2 pounds of pork belly, boned, rind removed, cut into 1- to 2-inch cubes (I found a nice piece of pork side at Wholey)
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Peanut or vegetable oil
  • 14 ounces medium egg noodles (I used a box of chow mein noodles)
  • 4 green onions, trimmed and finely sliced
  • 1 fresh red chili, deseeded and finely sliced
  • 2 bunches of interesting cresses such as cilantro, shiso or basil cress (I figured out that cresses are sprouts)
  • A bunch of fresh cilantro
  • 2 limes

  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pork pieces in a roasting pan and put to one side. Chuck all the marinade ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you have a smooth paste, then pour this all over the pork, adding a large wine glass of water.

  Mix it all up, then tightly cover the pan with aluminum foil and place in the preheated oven for about an hour and 30 minutes, or until the meat is tender but not colored.

  Pick the pieces of pork out of the pan and put to one side. The sauce left in the pan will be deliciously tasty and pretty much perfect. However if you feel it needs to be thickened slightly, simmer on a gentle heat for a bit until reduced to the consistency of ketchup. Season nicely to taste, add a little extra soy sauce if need be, then remove from the heat and put to one side.

  Put a pan of salted water on to boil. Get yourself a large pan or wok on the heat and pour in a good drizzle of peanut or vegetable oil. Add your pieces of pork to the wok and fry for a few minutes until crisp and golden. (You might need to do this in two batches.) At the same time, drop your noodles into the boiling water and cook for a few minutes, then drain most of the water away. Divide the noodles into four warmed bowls immediately, while they're still moist.

  What I love about this dish is the contrast between the flavors going on in it. ... To finish, spoon over a good amount of the rhubarb sauce.

  Divide your crispy pork on top, and add a good sprinkling of spring onions, chili, cresses and cilantro. Serve with half a lime each -- perfect.

  Serves 4.

  -- "Jamie at Home: Cook Your Way to the Good Life" by Jamie Oliver (Hyperion, 2007)

  Patricia Lowry can be reached at plowry@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1590.
  First published on May 14, 2009 at 12:00 am