The celebrity sprout of the 1970s health-food revolution — the one found on every sandwich at Californian health food counters, and the one that popularized the very idea of sprouts in North America. The plant itself has been cultivated for more than 4,000 years, originating in ancient Iran and Central Asia. The English name alfalfa comes from the Arabic al-faṣfaṣa ("the best fodder") — a marker of its millennia-long use as livestock feed. The genus name Medicago references the Medes (the ancient Median empire in what is now northwestern Iran), whom the Greeks credited with introducing the plant to Europe.
A legume (Fabaceae, like fenugreek, adzuki and mung beans), alfalfa produces fine delicate sprouts 4-6 cm long, with translucent white stems crowned by tiny tender-green cotyledons.
Very mild flavour, fresh, herbaceous, lightly green-bean — one of the most palate-accessible sprouts. Tender, fragile texture in the mouth. The classic North American sandwich: multigrain bread, cream cheese, cucumber, tomato, salt, pepper, and a generous handful of alfalfa sprouts — the emblematic 1970s-80s health combination, still just as effective today. Also excellent as a garnish on salads, in vegetarian wraps, piled on an avocado toast, or mixed with other sprouts to give them lightness.
Safety advice: like all small-seed sprouts grown in a jar, alfalfa is sensitive to bacterial contamination if rinsing is neglected — rinse abundantly morning and evening with cold water, and consume within 5-7 days of harvest.
- Soaking: 4-8 hours.
- Germination time: 1-2 days.
- Sprout harvest: 4-6 days after soaking begins.
- Yield: about 2 tbsp of seeds produces about 4 cups of sprouts.
- Best uses: sandwiches, wraps, salads, delicate garnishes.
