History
Artichokes have a long history, dating all the way back to 371-287 B.C. in Italy and Sicily. In fact, the artichoke is considered one of the oldest foods in the world. It was originally thought of as an aphrodisiac by Greeks and Romans and for this reason was sometimes reserved for consumption only by man. After the fall of Rome, the artichoke almost died out. However, during the Renaissance in 1466, the artichoke made a comeback. Artichokes began spreading to Florence and Naples, eventually becoming very popular in France during the 1500’s.
The artichoke made its way to the United States in 1806 when French immigrants started cultivating the vegetable in the Louisiana territory. Spaniards living in the Monterey area of California also began growing artichoke crops in the late 1800’s. In 1922, a Monterey landowner, Andrew Molera, realized that he could make a bigger profit if he stopped growing sugar beets and started growing artichokes. He hired Italian farmers and began growing his artichokes. The change paid off, as he soon began making triple the money he was making previously. California virtually took over the artichoke business and now produces nearly one hundred percent of America’s commercially grown artichokes.
Adapted from: What’s Cooking America
How to Eat an Artichoke
Artichokes get a bad rap because people think they are too hard to eat. But don’t be afraid! The artichoke’s delectable flavor is worth the wait of trying to figure out how to eat them! Here are some easy steps that will help you enjoy the great taste of artichokes.
The artichoke is divided into three parts: the outer leaves, a middle layer of fuzzy skin (commonly referred to as the “choke”), and the artichoke heart.
- The leaves of artichokes are really good for dipping in sauces. Start by pulling the leaves off at the bottom of the artichoke, then dip them into the sauce. By the way, our recipe of the week is a great artichoke dipping sauce and can be found below!
- The interior of the leaf is where most of the edible meat is, so begin by placing the leaf in between your teeth. Make sure the interior part of the leaf is touching your bottom set of teeth and the exterior part is touching your top set of teeth.
- Scrape the interior, meaty part of the leaf off with your bottom teeth.
- Continue this process with more leaves until you reach leaves with no meat on them. These leaves can be pulled off and thrown away.
- The next layer that you will see is the fuzzy “choke” layer. This is not edible, so you want to use either a spoon or knife to scrape it off. This will reveal the scrumptious artichoke heart.
- The heart can be cut into bite-sized pieces and can be eaten with a dipping sauce as well. The artichoke can also be use in recipes to add delicious flavor!
Adapted from: What You Need to Know About
Artichoke Availability / Selection / Storage
The best season for artichokes is in the spring, during the months of March to May. When selecting an artichoke, make sure that it feels heavy for its size. This means that it will have more artichoke meat for you to enjoy. Its leaves should lay tight together, and they should be deep green in color. The leaves should also make a squeaking sound when they are gently pressed together. Artichokes should be stored in the refrigerator, unwashed in a plastic bag. They can be stored for up to 1 week, but they will taste better if eaten on the same day of purchase. Cooked artichokes can either be refrigerated for up to 4 days or frozen in a tightly wrapped plastic bag, foil or plastic container for 6 to 8 months.
Adapted from: What You Need to Know About
Nutrition
Artichokes are great to eat not only because they are tasty, but they are also rich in many nutrients! They are a great source of vitamin C, folate, fiber, and many other minerals.
Nutrient analysis of 1 large artichoke: calories: 76, fat: <1g, saturated fat: <1g, monounsaturated fat: 0g, polyunsaturated fat: <1g, protein: 5g, carbohydrate: 17g, cholesterol: 0mg, sodium: 152mg, potassium: 599mg, fiber: 8.8g, vitamin C: 19mg, folate: 110 mcg