History

This plant (or the cardoon it comes from) could have come from Egypt or North Africa originally.

The plant whose denomination is Cynara was well known by the Greeks and the Romans. Apparently they considered it an aphrodisiac and its name comes from that of a young girl seduced by Zeus, and later turned into an artichoke by him.

It is of interest that during the Middle Ages, the artichoke was unknown, and it is thought that during this period the continuous cultivation of cardoons transformed them little by little into the present day artichoke.

It was already consumed in fifteenth century Italy. Coming from Sicily, it appeared in Tuscanny around 1466.

Tradition has it that it was introduced into France by Catalina of Medicis, who enjoyed eating artichoke hearts. This Florentine brought them from her native Italy when she married King Henry II of France. Luis XIV was also an avid consumer of artichokes.

The Spanish and French colonisers in America introduced them to this continent. With time, cardoons have become an authentic plague in California, a typical example of an invading plant in a new habitat.

Properties

In natural medicine the artichoke (or the juice coming from the cooking of their leaves) is used profusely to treat anaemia, diabetes, constipation, gallstones, gout and rheuma.

As well as being digestive, this green vegetable is highly diuretic and very rich in minerals, vitamins and fibre. On the other hand, its low content in calories makes it specially advisable for slimming diets.

Recipes

Rabbit with artichokes

Ingredients:

For 4 persons
1 1.2 kg rabbit
6 artichokes
4 cloves of garlic
2 spring onions
2 green peppers
1 tablespoon of flour
1 glass of white wine
2 glasses of water
Virgin extra oil
Salt and pepper

Preparation:

Cut the rabbit into pieces and add salt and pepper.
Peel the garlic and cut in half. Brown in a saucepan with a litttle oil. Add the rabbit. Cook until golden brown. Add the tablespoon of flour and mix well until it dissolves.
Clean the artichokes, removing the stalk, the outside leaves and the tips of the leaves. Quarter the artichokes and add to the saucepan.
Pour in the wine and the water and cook on a medium-high heat for 30 minutes.
Cut the peppers into rectangles and the spring onions into strips. Brown them in a frying pan with a little oil.
Serve the rabbit in a dish and put the fried peppers and onions on top.

Artichoke pies with ham velouté

Ingredients:

For 4 persons
4 puff pastry tarts
1 small tin of artichokes
1/4 of lite of chicken and ham stock
1 spring onion
1 clove of garlic
1/2 green pepper
50 g of serrano ham
1 tablespoon of flour
Virgin olive oil
Salt

Preparation:

Chop the spring onion, the clove of garlic and the green pepper very finely, Put everything to simmer in a frying pan with oil Add the diced ham and stir-fry. Add the artichokes and cook them briefly.
For the velouté, put a little oil in a frying pan, add a tablespoon of flour, heat well and pour the stock in little by little, stirring all the time.
Fill the pastry with the artichokes and ham, pour a little velouté on top of each pastry and brown in the oven.

Varieties

In France

• The Camus from Bretagne: this is the largest variety of artichoke (just two or three will make up one kilo). The green part tends to be rounded. It is consumed boiled or steamed with a vinegar sauce. The hearts of the artichoke can be prepared in conserve.
• The Green artichoke from Laon: a more rustic variety, it adapts better to the cold. It has the same shape but it is smaller. It is also called "cat's head".
• The Purple (or Violet) artichoke from Provence: Much smaller and conical in shape with violet coloured bract. It is grown abundantly in the Mediterranean region and is sold in the markets under the name of "Bouquet" artichoke. It can be eaten raw when it is not fully ripe (at this time it is called "Poivrade"), or it can be pickled in vinagrette or cooked.

In Spain

• The White artichoke from Tudela: an elongated variety, green in colouring and of small size. Grown extensively in Navarra, La Rioja, Murcia and Alicante.
• Monquelina: a variety that has practically disappeared.

In Italy.

• The Spiny artichoke (Espinosa): according to the Italians, the best of the raw artichokes. It owes its name to the spiny extremities of its bracts. When it is chewed, it is both fleshy and crispy.
• The Romanesque: thick, round and purple. It includes dozens of local subclasses in the region of El Lazio and Campania. Harvest is in spring.
• The Franciscan: similar to the purple French variety from Provence, it is the most widespread in the south, including the region of Puglia and Sicily which are the largest producing regions.

In Chile.

• The Chilean variety is thought to be of French origin, and is probably derived from the French Green artichoke from Provence, the Thick Green variety from Laon or the Thick Camus from Bretagne.