Know your onions and your leeks

THERE’S nothing base about the leek. The French word for this noble vegetable is poireau, which also means simpleton, but never has a double meaning been less apt. Recipients of the esteemed Chevalier dans l’ordre du Mérite agricole (an order of merit second only to the Legion d’honneur) are said to avoir le, in reference to the deep green of the medal’s ribbon. Its culinary prowess is equally grand.