Plant

Artichoke

Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus

Also known as: Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus, globe artichoke

A large perennial thistle in the daisy family (Asteraceae) — domesticated from the wild cardoon in the Mediterranean basin. The edible part is the immature flower bud, harvested before the spectacular purple thistle-flower opens. If left to bloom, the artichoke produces one of the most striking flowers in the entire vegetable world. The Roman cookbook *Apicius* describes artichoke preparations; Catherine de Medici brought the vegetable from Florence to France in the 1530s, popularizing it across French and broader European cuisine.

Photo via Wikimedia Commons — see source for license.

Scientific

Cynara cardunculus is the cardoon — a wild thistle native to the Mediterranean basin. The cultivated artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus) is a long-domesticated selection for enlarged immature flower buds. A related variety (Cynara cardunculus var. altilis) is grown for the edible stems and is called cardoon as a vegetable — same species, different selected organ.

The edible artichoke is technically a flower bud — the meaty “leaves” are bracts (the protective structures around the developing flowers), and the hairy “choke” at the center is the developing flower-cluster. If left unharvested, the bud opens into a 7-cm-diameter purple thistle flower.

The plant contains cynarin, a unique compound that temporarily blocks sweet-taste receptors on the tongue — which is why water tastes inexplicably sweet right after eating artichoke. The same compound is the basis of the Italian aperitif Cynar — an artichoke-based bitter liqueur.

Cultural

Roman agricultural and culinary records describe artichokes. The medieval Arab agricultural tradition refined the cultivated form across North Africa and Sicily; Catherine de Medici brought artichokes from Florence to the French court when she married the future Henri II in 1533, popularizing the vegetable across French aristocratic cuisine.

Italian regional traditions are deepest: Roman carciofi alla giudia (deep-fried whole artichokes in the Jewish-Roman tradition), Venetian castraure (the earliest tiny artichokes), Sicilian and Sardinian wild-cardoon harvests. Globe artichokes also feature in Greek, Spanish, Egyptian, and Levantine cuisines.

Global production

Top producers: Italy, Egypt, Spain, Algeria, Peru.

Sources

Wikipedia — Artichoke

A plant entry in the 0mn1.one [[directory]].

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Practical

produces

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Scientific

Cultural

Global production

See also

Sources

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