Category: History of Rhubarb

Rhubarb Trivia, part 2

December 16th, 2025

Some families like to play games together during the holidays. But Monopoly takes forever and Scrabble is not for everybody. How about introducing Rhubarb Trivia to the fun? Print up this fact sheet and distribute it so people can study. Then hold a contest. Winner gets an extra helping of Rhubarb Pie or Rhubarb Pudding or Rhubarb Crumble Bars. At last year’s Rhubarb Festival, there was a Trivia Contest — get ready for Festival 2026!

What did the ancient Greeks call rhubarb?	The Barbarian Plant
Who thought he brought rhubarb back from the new World? Columbus or Da Gama or Cabot	Columbus
When did rhubarb roots and seeds arrive in Western Europe?	1600s/17^th century
Which country was the first to use rhubarb for food?	England
Where in England is The Rhubarb Triangle? *	West Yorkshire
When was rhubarb introduced to North America?	1770
By whom?	Benjamin Franklin sent rhubarb from Europe to John Bartram in Philadelphia
Is rhubarb a fruit or a vegetable?	A vegetable
Which state has rhubarb as their official State Fruit?	New York State
Half of all commercial rhubarb in the US is from which * state?	Washington State
When is National Rhubarb Pie Day?	January 23^rd
When is National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day?	June 9^th
What is a common nickname for Rhubarb?	Pie plant
What is another common nickname for Rhubarb?	Neighbor plant
How long ago were the Chinese using rhubarb medicinally*	5000 years
What part of rhubarb is medicinal?	The root
What were rhubarb roots used for in medicine?	As a laxative

This is the blog of the Bennington Rhubarb Festival, which was started in 2013 to benefit the library Building Fund. If you would like to help the Building Fund, please contribute any amount to the G.E.P. Dodge Library Building Fund, Bennington, NH, 03442, USA.

The next installment of this blog will be posted on January 13, 2025. If you click the Follow button, all future posts will be sent straight to your inbox every month.

Rhubarb, the early years

October 24th, 2023

Rhubarb, Rheum rhabarbarum, originated in southern Siberia, on the border with Mongolia. Some say the name is of latin origin — yet the Greeks were using it for medicine before Roman times, and they called it rheon, which is related to a Persian word for the plant. The ‘barberum’ part of the name means ‘foreign.’

The Genus name ‘Rheum,’ comes from central Asia’s Rha River, named by the Scythians, now called the Volga River. The region has been inhabited for 9000 years, but at what point the inhabitants began to use Rhubarb or even how it arrived there from Siberia, we can only speculate. They must have grown a lot of rhubarb in the Volga floodplain, facilitated by the well-drained fluvial sediments with a high organic content. Thus, Rhubarb means ‘foreigner’s plant from the Rha River Valley.’

As long ago as 5000 years ago, the Chinese used the woody roots of Rheum palmatum for medicine: to relieve diarrhea, fevers, and constipation. [Constipation was a frequent problem in days past, due to the unavailability of fresh fruits and vegetables for months at a time.] Medicines that promoted bowel function were called ‘cathartic’ or ‘purgative.’

Along the Silk Road, formalized in 130 BCE, rhubarb roots were traded widely. Their laxative properties were in high demand and rhubarb roots were the major export of Asia for centuries — a very valuable commodity. Rhubarb in those days was not valued for the stalks, but for the roots only. Thus from the very early days, Rhubarb was a useful medicine and a valuable commodity.

This is the blog of the Bennington Rhubarb Festival, which was started in 2013 to benefit the library Building Fund. If you would like to help the Building Fund, please contribute any amount to the G.E.P. Dodge Library Building Fund, Bennington, NH, 03442, USA.

The next installment of this blog will be posted on November 21, 2023. If you click the Follow button, all future posts will be sent straight to your inbox every month.

Category: History of Rhubarb

Rhubarb Trivia, part 2

Rhubarb, the early years