Artichokes: The Incredible Edible Thistle
A Few Facts About Globe Artichokes
Courtesy of Wikipedia
The globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus) is a perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean. It grows to 1.5-2 m tall, with arching, deeply lobed, silvery glaucous-green leaves 50-82 cm long. The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 8-15 cm diameter with numerous triangular scales; the individual florets are purple. The edible portion of the buds consists primarily of the fleshy lower portions of the involucral bracts and the base, known as the "heart;" the mass of immature florets in the center of the bud is called the "choke." These are inedible in older larger flowers.
Globe artichokes are known to have been cultivated at Naples around the middle of the 9th century. Modern scholar, Le Roy Ladurie, in his book Les Paysans de Languedoc has documented the spread of the artichoke:
The blossom of the thistle, improved by the Arabs, passed from Naples to Florence in 1466, carried by Phillippo Strozzi. Towards 1480 it is noticed in Venice, as a curiosity. But very soon veres towards the north-west... Artichoke beds are mentioned in Avignon by the notaries from 1532 onward; from the principle towns they spread into the hinterlands... appearing as carchofas at Cavaillon in 1541, at Chateauneuf du Pape in 1553, at Orange in 1554. The local name remains carchofas, from the Italian carciofo...They are very small, the size of a hen's egg... and are still considered a luxury, a vaguely aphrodisiac tidbit which one preserved in sugar syrup.
The Dutch introduced artichokes to England, where they grew in Henry VIII's garden at Newhall in 1530. They were brought to the United States in the 19th century, to Louisiana by French immigrants and to California by Spanish immigrants. The name has originated from the Arabic al-kharshof, through a Northern Italian dialect word, articiocco.
Today, globe artichoke cultivation is concentrated in the countries bordering the Mediterranean basin. The main producers are Italy, Spain, and France. In the United States, California provides nearly 100% of the U.S. crop, and approximately 80 percent of that is grown in Monterey County. There, Castroville proclaims itself to be "The Artichoke Center of the World," and holds an annual festival at which artichoke ice cream is served.
Artichoke by Marni Maree
Artichokes on the Menu Photo Gallery
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Artichoke and Spinach Lasagna
Artichoke Recipes & More
Simply Recipes Learn how to cook and eat an artichoke.Artichoke Advisory Board of California Favorite dips from Castroville, Artichoke Benedict, Grilled Artichokes, Couscous-Stuffed Artichokes, Baked Artichoke Casserole, Focaccia-Stuffed Artichokes, Artichoke Frittata, and more.
What's Cooking America? Artichoke & Goat Cheese Bruschetta, Artichoke Hearts with Crab, Artichoke Mushroom Cannelloni Lasagna, Fettuccine with Baby Artichokes, Grilled Baby Artichokes, Italian Stuffed Artichokes, Sombrero Artichokes, Stuffed Artichokes with Smoked Salmon Salad, and more.
About.com: Home Cooking Artichoke Hearts in Tomato Rice, Artichoke Mashed Potatoes, Artichoke Nut Bread, Artichokes & Pork Chops with Mustard Cream, Artichoke Rose Garnish, Artichoke Soup, Ragout of Fresh Clams with Artichokes and Tomatoes, Shrimp & Artichoke Stuffed Fish, Spinach & Artichokes in Puff Pastry, Stewed Artichokes with Olives and Moroccan Spices, and more.
Do You Have a Favorite Artichoke Recipe?
Add Your Lens or Website Link Here
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How to Cook an Artichoke
Here's How I Do It...
Trim the stem and tip of each artichoke, then cut any remaining thorns with kitchen scissors. Place artichokes bottom down in a deep sauce pan so they fit snugly. Drizzle olive oil over the cut, top portion and sprinkle liberally with Lawry's garlic salt. Add thinly sliced lemon wedges and a bay leaf to the pot. Fill pot with enough water to cover the artichokes, plus an inch or two. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer for about 30 minutes. Loosely cover the pan and continue simmering on low for another 30 minutes. Turn off heat and tightly cover for another 30 minutes to an hour. Gently drain artichokes, transfer to a platter, and serve. More Artichoke Cooking Tips
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Artichokes - Where do artichokes come from and how to prepare cook & eat them.
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The artichoke (aka: cynara cardunculus) is a thistle that originated from the Mediterranean. Only the heart of these flowering thistles are edible.
Scarpetta Tomato Artichoke Bruschetta Topping
Artichokes for the Pantry
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Artichoke Steaming Rack
The Ideal Way to Cook Artichokes
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Artichoke Blossom
Artichoke Gear for You (and the Pooch!)
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Artichoke Flower Macro View
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What's the Buzz on Artichokes?
- Artichokes & peas - Vegetarian - easy recipe
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- Fried Artichoke Recipe
- FRIED ARTICHOKE (Carciofi fritti) Take two artichokes, cut out the hard part of the leaves and of the stalk, cut them in two. Then cut these halves into section or slices so as to have eight or ten for each artichoke, according to size. ...
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Artichokes on Twitter
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- vmarinelli
- A dream about butterscotch, chocolate & artichoke-chip cookies served in a nuthouse tells me my brain doesn't yet grasp the no-sugar thing.
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- emilyivey
- And now @ellieivey is eating my Cheerios. She really wanted the rest of the spinach artichoke dip, but I declared it Not For Breakfast.
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- rainbowdarling
- Let's see... stuffed peppers, pesto-spinach-artichoke lasagna and chicken gnocchi soup. Sounds like a good menu of things to prepare today!
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- BigChinky
- @hanneloreEC The trick to eating an artichoke is as a slow, constant snack, like popcorn maybe. You can eat the soft parts of every "leaf."
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- THOROBREDREN
- @Miss_Jocelyn ha..im thinkin bout otha recipes I can incorporate the special buttah into..spinach artichoke dip..that would be the shit, no?
W is for Welcome...
Did you learn something new about artichokes?
genglo wrote...
What a great resource. I do love artichokes and they are my daughter's favorite, but I did not grow up with them, so I don't have much experience using them in recipes.
Posted June 23, 2009
fixerkev wrote...
Hi nice lens, I thought you may like to take a look at mine about growing Big Veg at: http://squidoo.com/fixerkev and if you are interested you may like to join my mailing list, email me at kjhowcroft@gmail.com
Posted May 29, 2009
monarch13 wrote...
Just found this! I rolled to "Designing with Artichoke Color Hues". PS- I love Le Creuset cookware, I have a new lens; waiting to be published, on it.
Posted April 30, 2009
ChineseKitesforKids wrote...
Now this is my kind of lens!! The artichoke gets no love these days. Possibly because of its weird exterior, no? This is a fabulous lens! You really do great work on anything you touch, even an artichoke. Thanks for being an inspiration to us all. One day I hope to be a Squid Angel too! But right now I think I will just work on getting my four lenses that I have read huh? You rock!!
Posted April 28, 2009
clouda9 wrote...
Oh now I so hankering for an artichoke! Craved them my first pregnancy and thought I was in nirvana when we walked into Seattle's Pike Street Market to find the biggest artichokes I had seen in my life and oh they tasted heavenly too! Have not seen any that size since :( Adding your lovely lens on a blog post about spring garden goodies over at http://your-girl-friday.blogspot.com, should be published later today.
Posted March 01, 2009
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