The globe artichoke is the most commonly eaten variety, with a long history of cultivation in the Mediterranean. The artichoke requires some work to eat, but is low in calories and rich in vitamins. Artichoke dip became popular in the 1980s.
When people refer to an artichoke in cooking, they tend to mean the artichoke, from the thistle family. Two other artichokes, Jerusalem and Chinese, are also eaten, but they are very different from the globe. Jerusalem is a form of daisy and the root or tuber is eaten. The Chinese artichoke comes from the wounded plant and the tuber is also considered the edible part. Conversely, the edible part of the globe is the top of the thistle.
The globe artichoke boasts a long history of both traditions and preparation for cooking. The earliest cultivation was thought to have occurred in the Mediterranean. A Greek myth evokes the beautiful story that the first artichoke was a woman of extraordinary beauty called Cynara with whom Zeus was in love. Zeus decided to make her a goddess, but she missed Cynara so much at home that she would sneak back from Mount Olympus to visit her family. This enraged Zeus, who exacted a rather terrible punishment of her by turning her into the first artichoke.
In one sense, the myth is indicative of the nature of the artichoke. Only a small part of the vegetable is eaten. The exterior is hard and not very flexible, even when cooked, and each leaf must be removed to get to the “heart of the plant”. A small amount of the bottoms of the leaf is often dipped in sauces such as mayonnaise, before the teeth scrape away the flesh of the plant. Even the heart needs to be separated from its hard thistle bottom to be edible. So the artichoke requires some work for the eater, just as Cynara represented more work than Zeus was willing to grant her.
Around 800 AD, two groups of Moors are believed to be responsible for the cultivation of the artichoke in Sicily and Spain. The word comes from Arabic rather than Greek, suggesting that the Moors may have grown the vegetable first. The artichoke was enjoyed throughout Europe, showing a resurgence in popularity in the Renaissance.
Culinary traditions attribute both the French and the Italians to the introduction of the artichoke in the United States. The French are thought to have attempted cultivation in Louisiana, while the Italians grew the vegetable in California. Clearly artichoke cultivation in California was more successful. Today, commercially grown artichokes in the United States come exclusively from California, with about 75 percent of those grown in Monterey County.
Traditional cooking methods involve boiling or steaming the artichoke, and the length of cooking time is determined by the size. Many chefs prefer small artichokes, as they tend to cook quicker and are the most tender, producing more vegetable yield than overgrown artichokes.
Artichoke dip, which uses artichoke hearts, became a popular offering during the 1980s. The dip is served in a hollow round of French bread, and people like to dip cubed French bread, crackers, or chips into this delicious yet relatively high-calorie offering. Artichoke served on its own isn’t high in calories, with about 25 calories per vegetable.
The artichoke is also rich in vitamin C, folate and potassium, making it a good nutritional choice. Since it takes a little longer to eat, it is a favorite food of dieters. Marinated artichoke hearts are often used in salads, yet they retain some of the oil they’re stored in, so they can have a higher fat content.
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