Artichoke

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The origin of the artichoke is not known. It is cultivated in moderate latitudes, mainly in the Mediterranean. The most important producing countries are: Italy, Spain, France, Egypt and Israel

Description:

The artichoke is the bud of a thistle-like herbaceous perennial, which bears fruit for 3-4 years. The plant is very sensitive to frost. The bud-heads of the plant are edible. They reach a size of 7-13cm, are violet or green coloured and have a weight of 150-500 grams. The ripe pinecone-like flower-heads consist of a fleshy bottom, the most precious part of the blossom, and the tiled rosette outer leaves. Besides a high protein content, the artichoke provides calcium, iron, provitamin A and vitamin B. It also contains the starch „Inulin“. During the cooking of the artichoke, this becomes a fruit sugar and can be processed without the hormone "Insulin" - important for diabetics. The artichoke is highly esteemed for its relaxing effects on stomach, gallbladder and liver. The taste of the artichoke is fine-sharp to fine bitter and reminds of celery with hazelnuts. Artichokes are a relatively expensive vegetable, because only 20% of the bud is edible. The artichoke is considered a delicacy and a very elegant vegetable.

Marketing :

Due to the differing harvesting times in the producing countries, the artichoke is available nearly year round. The harvest times concentrate on late fall and late spring. The artichoke cannot be stored long. In perfect conditions at 0°C and a relative humidity of 90-100%, it may last for 2-3 weeks. For this, it needs to be covered well with e.g. food wrap and may not be exposed to draught because it will dry out quickly. If dried out leaf tips are visible, or the outer leaves show a brown discolouration, the artichoke has been stored too long which results in a considerable quality loss.

Use:

The French cuisine has the largest selection in recipes, because this vegetable was the preferred dish for the rich aristocrats of the 18th century. In exceptional cases in France and some southern countries, the artichoke will be eaten raw, most often it will be cooked. For this the stems and the lower outer leaves are cut off, the bud-head is rinsed well and added to boiling water. Prior to cooking, the pointed and bitter leaf tips should be trimmed. The cooking water should be seasoned with some salt, vinegar and/or lemon juice. The cooking time is approx. 40-45 minutes. Aluminium pots should not be used! Because they lead to a grey-black discolouration of the artichoke. To eat, the leaves are pulled individually from the rosette, the soft inner basal parts are dipped into a piquant, hot or cold sauce, and pulled off with the teeth. Finally the bottom of the blossom, the heart, is uncovered. For this, the inedible delicate fibrous bloom crowning the heart, the 'thistle' must be removed. The bottom may be breaded, baked or broiled in oil, cut into cubes and eaten with a sauce.