Rhubarb, which some call the Pie Plant because people most often used it for pie filling, is indigenous to China where herbalist used it for its purgative qualities. Venetian traders introduced it to Southern Europe where rhubarb first appeared in an Italian garden in 1608. From there it spread to the rest of Europe. Rhubarb’s first reference as food, as tart and pie filling, dates back to 1778.