"RAMP"????????????????????

A ramp?  In cooking?  What could that be?
I was watching a cooking show and their recipe was a simple pasta dish, until they suggested chopping in a little "ramp"!  Well, I guess that would make it more of a gourmet dish, especially since there seemed to be a magical ingredient in my thinking.  Ah, things are not always what they seem, now are they?
"Ramp" is basically a wild leek, or spring onion, with a very pungent flavor of garlic and onion.  In fact, culinary experts will tell you that the smell of garlic is strong enough to last a considerable amount of time on one's breath.  Sounds like it might be worth it!
This early spring vegetable grows naturally in North America from South Carolina to Canada.  It is similar in shape to the scallion at the base of the bulb, but the leaves are broad and flat.  most are cultivated for use in salads, soups, egg dishes, potatoes, rice and apparently, in pasta as well.
According to Wikipedia, a thick growth of ramps near Lake Michigan in Illinois in the 17th century, gave the city it's name of Chicago due to an apparent mistaken identity. "The plant called Chicagou in the language of native tribes was once thought to be Allium cernuum, the nodding wild onion."  Later research showed the correct plant to be the ramp. Don't ya just love this stuff?  People even have Ramp festivals in the spring to celebrate this plant-amazing!!!
I'm not sure I would go foraging for ramps, but I might, out of curiosity, order some from a place like Earthy Delights. Check em out at www.earthy.com.
After much research, I DO think this may be a "magical ingredient"!

Think about it and tell us what you think?  Worth the extra effort, or will the simple scallion do the trick?