Walking between the counters in the market, you see a huge selection of various vegetables and fruits. Among them are apples, plums, cucumbers, etc., familiar to everyone. But there are those who find it difficult to give an exact name the first time. One of them is an artichoke. A beautiful vegetable that grows in the Mediterranean countries will certainly surprise you with its unique taste and aroma. Read more about what an artichoke is and what it is eaten with, read below.
Vegetable or fruit?
The artichoke is most popular in Italy. It is there that they grow it for production and export to different countries of the world. Translated from Italian, the name of the plant means "pine cone." This country is so revered artichoke that every year holds a festival in his honor.
Despite the fact that the artichoke outwardly is really easy to confuse with a huge lump, in fact it is a flower of the asters family. The closest relatives of this amazing flower vegetable are chamomiles and dandelions. And as far as it is customary for us to consider them weeds, it is so common among Australians to consider artichokes weeds.
Australian weeds
Artichoke is a vegetable crop with a straight long stem and wide leaves. At the base closer to the root, the plant is densely dotted with white hairs. Under favorable conditions, the plant is able to grow up to one and a half meters in height. To better understand what an artichoke is, imagine a thistle. It is precisely what the artichoke looks like during flowering. Only an overseas vegetable is much more massive, spreading and with a large number of leaves.
The plant is quite sun-loving, and the dry climate is most suitable for it. Therefore, it prefers countries with minimal rainfall, such as Australia, Italy, France, Spain, etc. There are about 10 types of artichokes, but Spanish is considered the most popular variety.
What is edible in it?
Many are interested in the question: "How do you eat artichokes and what exactly parts of the plant can be eaten?" Mostly used in cooking non-blooming flower, which looks like a basket. Outwardly, it is completely covered with fleshy scales. The diameter of this basket is on average 10 cm. Color - light green and light green. In addition, in Vietnam, Romania and Mexico, it is customary to make tea from the leaves, stem and root of the artichoke. In Italy, it is used to make liquor.
Artichoke has a rather peculiar taste. What it looks like, you won’t answer right away. But gourmets are more likely to compare it with green peas.
Origin history
The first mention of him as a vegetable dates back to the 8th century BC. Records of the use of artichoke in food are also found among the ancient Romans and Greeks. They already knew well how to cook artichokes, and even managed to make preparations from them using various additives and spices.
The peculiar taste of the artichoke was so exalted in those days that poems were written about it. In particular, these are the poets of the past Alkey and Hesiod. They used fresh or boiled artichoke seasoned with various sauces. Surprisingly, only rich people could afford this flower weed for a long period.
The writer of Ancient Rome Pliny about what an artichoke is, writes not only as a delicacy for gourmets, but also as a medicine. Medicine and science are also aware of its aphrodisiac qualities.
In the Middle Ages, Arabs improved the cultivation of artichoke, thanks to which the product received wide distribution. It begins to grow in almost every household plot. Later, the Dutch and Belgians got down to business. They ennobled the plant so much that they delivered it even to the royal court.
Artichoke as a medicine
For the first time, the healing properties of artichoke were mentioned in the 16th century by Italian practitioner and biologist Pietro Mattioli. He argued that by using the roots of a plant, one could get rid of unpleasant body odors. At that time, this was a fairly urgent problem. Along with this, the artichoke began to be used as an effective bile and diuretic. These properties in our days have long been confirmed by scientists. All thanks to the presence of the chemical component of cynarin. Most of it is found in the pulp of the leaves and stem, even if dried artichokes are used.
In addition, the plant contains bioactive flavonoids luteolin and apigenin, which are able to prevent cancerous tumors. The total antioxidant ability of artichoke flower heads reaches the highest levels among vegetables.
What diseases are good for artichoke use?
- Liver disease.
- Constipation.
- Diabetes.
- Atherosclerosis.
- Psoriasis.
- Eczema.
- Pancreatic disease.
Artichokes contain a number of useful substances necessary for the smooth functioning of the human body. In addition to the flavonoids discussed above, the colors include folic acid, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and iron. Also, fiber in large quantities, vitamins of group B (in particular, B6), K and C.
Therefore, the use of artichokes is so desirable in the winter, when the body is most in need of micronutrients and vitamins.
You can make tea from the plant. How to brew an artichoke? Dried leaves (1-1.5 tsp) pour a glass of water with a temperature of 70-80 ° C, leave for 5 minutes, if necessary strain through a strainer.
How to choose a good artichoke?
You already learned about what an artichoke is, now it remains to find out what to look for during the selection and how to cook deliciously.
The first thing you should check when choosing an artichoke is color. Good early vegetables should be green. Later, autumn fruits have a purple hue. Choose buds that are heavier and more fleshy, with scales that fit well to the core. As for the size, it does not play a special role. But this is only if you know how to cook it.
Another thing is with the age of the fetus - the younger it is, the more tender and tasty. Artichokes ripen in Italy in February, and finish their collection in early April. Harvesting vegetables is carried out in several stages of ripening. So it turns out that the first crop is the most delicious. So we came to the question of how to eat artichokes.
What tastes better?
Young vegetables harvested in February are incredibly tender. The size of such plants is not more than a chicken egg. You can eat them whole and even raw. But unfortunately, these fruits do not respond well to transportation. Therefore, in a supermarket, young artichokes are almost impossible to find.
Canned artichokes also have a special taste. For this, buds of medium and small sizes are suitable. Italians pickle these vegetables in sea water or olive oil, seasoning with spices and herbs. For tourists and visitors, this dish is a real delicacy. After trying it, it's hard not to fall in love with the artichoke for the rest of your life.
Large vegetables are eaten only after heat treatment. After the flower is cut, it immediately begins to lose its sophisticated aroma and properties. Therefore, it is advisable to cook it as soon as possible.
Artichokes in the country
It is believed that the shelf life of the cut fruit in the refrigerator is about a week. That is why artichokes are increasingly found in the beds of our summer residents. Although it will take a lot of effort to get the crop, the result is worth it. After all, this is a perennial plant, and if successful, it will bear fruit up to 10 years. On average, one vegetable bush gives up to 10 cones of fruits. And this means that only 6-7 artichoke bushes will be enough to provide vegetables to the whole family.
Indisputable arguments about whether to grow fruits in the country are their beneficial properties. Moreover, most of them are found in leaves and roots. Thus, the fruits can be safely used to prepare a variety of tasty and healthy dishes, and all the rest of the raw materials can be dried for use during illnesses. Do this during flowering. You can use a dryer, or you can put it in a draft.
Cooking
Who-who, and Italians certainly know how to cook artichokes. They are served both as a single dish, and as a side dish, cold and hot. Vegetables are used to make various salads, pies and pizza. They are added to give special taste to stews and pastas. With this intricate flower vegetable, even bread is baked and sweet dishes are prepared.
To attract the attention of tourists, restaurateurs exhibit baskets with artichokes at the entrance to their establishment. This suggests that in the restaurant you can taste dishes with this exotic weed.
How to eat an artichoke
When they see a marvelous vegetable for the first time, many people are wondering which side to approach and especially how to eat it properly. However, everything is not as scary as it seems at first. Even the most educated eat artichokes with their hands. Small buds can be placed entirely in the mouth, and larger ones can be divided into separate petals. Too large fruits are not served fresh, but pre-cooked or prepared from them a separate full-fledged dish. We’ll talk separately about how to boil an artichoke.
Boil the vegetable
- Take a larger pan if you have several fruits, and medium-sized if one bud. During cooking, artichokes will become very soft. So that the finished vegetables do not lose their appetizing appearance, you will need to carefully get them out. Therefore, it is better to give them more space for cooking.
- Pour in water and cook for about 45 minutes. To check readiness, use a knife - it must enter the flower without resistance.
- Transfer the finished vegetable to cold water, then drop it into a colander. It is necessary to get rid of excess fluid.
- Transfer the prepared artichokes to a deep plate and serve with the sauce.
Interesting Facts
- For the first time, French cooks prepared the artichoke, after which the product became known throughout the world as something amazing and very tasty.
- In ancient times, in Rome, it was believed that this flower, being a powerful aphrodisiac, can somehow affect the sexual characteristics of unborn children.
- Scientists from Spain figured out how to extract energy from artichokes. In the future, they plan to build weed processing power plants. To provide electric power to a population of 60,000 people, about 100,000 tons of artichokes will be needed.
- In different countries of the world, festivals are held in honor of this miracle of nature. During the celebration, participants in the show dance, sing, participate in various competitions and, of course, taste artichoke dishes.
An artichoke is a real delicacy with which you can surprise guests and be considered a wonderful hostess. His taste will be remembered for a lifetime. Growing this amazing vegetable in your garden, you will not only become the owner of overseas goodies. You can use it for the intended purpose of nature and surprise those present with an original bouquet.