Artichokes are known as the ‘aristocrat’ of the vegetable world. They have a spiky exterior made of ‘leaves’ and a delicate flavour. Historians have estimated that artichokes were cultivated by North African Moors in 800 A.D., and that the Saracens, an Arab group, introduced artichokes to Italy.
The artichoke first reached California via Italian immigrants in the 1890s. A few years later, a local businessman named John Debenedetti developed California’s artichoke industry. He soon discovered that it would have to be sold in the Northeast, where eager Italian-Americans were ready to pay fifty cents to a dollar per artichoke because they considered it an ancient delicacy. Baby artichokes were especially sought after and used in Italian cooking. Boiled artichokes (with béchamél or hollandaise) were first featured in the 1921 edition of Fannie Farmer’s cookbook.
Ciro Terranova, an artichoke dealer who wanted to profit from the vegetable’s popularity, started a racket. He sent minions to convince importers to sell them artichokes at a fraction of the original cost. Anyone who refused to comply was beaten up. Terranova sold the seized artichokes to local vendors for double the price and kept the profits for himself. His racket began to be called ‘the Artichoke King’. By 1930, newspapers in New York newspapers regularly reported about this criminal activity.
Here are some ways artichokes can be used in the kitchen:
Fry them
Deep-fry a prepared artichoke for five minutes in hot oil. Once it has cooled down, open it like a flower. Fry for another few mins at a higher temperature, so that the leaves are crunchy. Plush each crunchy leaf and enjoy.
Make them into tapenade
Use artichokes with a large heart to make tapenade. Steam the heart and blend it with a little bit of the steaming liquid. Serve with crusty bread and olives.
Eat them raw
Prepare the artichokes and submerge them in lemon water. Finely slice them and then bathe them in a dressing made with olive oil and herbs. For this, use small artichokes so that you don’t need to strip too many leaves.
Brew them as tea
Use the leaves and stem of the artichokes to make artichoke tea. Use an oven to dehydrate them and then infuse in hot water. This brew is a favourite with many people as it helps with digestion.