L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 26 L'Italo-Americano T o b e t r u t h f u l , artichokes are almost a mystery o u t s i d e o f t h e Mediterranean: yes, we find jars of them on the shelves of our local gro- cery stores, but the fresh variety remains a bit of a rarity. Mind, carciofi are a delicacy even in Italy, where they are widely grown, espe- cially in Liguria and in the South. You find them in win- ter and in the early spring, but their price is often pro- hibitive so, while our tradi- t i o n a l c u i s i n e i s f u l l o f recipes to cook and enjoy t h e m a t t h e i r b e s t , t h e y remain a bit of a gourmet ingredient. Culinary histori- ans, in fact, tell us it's always been like this: carciofi were never part of Italy's much- loved cucina povera. B e c a u s e o f t h e i r t o u g h exterior and thorny appear- a n c e , a r t i c h o k e s i n s p i r e respect and even a bit of def- erence: how do you clean them, and which parts can you eat? What do you need to discard and can you eat them raw - the answer is yes, but they need to be on the smaller side and very tender. You see? Artichokes are a bit of a mystery but it's time we debunk it. Our artichokes (cynara cardunculus) derive from an herbaceous plant, cynara scolimus, that belongs to the asteraceae family - I'm done with the Latin, I promise. They were probably harvest- e d f r o m a w i l d v a r i e t y o f cynara, and they are ubiqui- tous in all Mediterranean countries. We know the Egyptians already knew the artichoke, but it was the Etruscans w h o b r o u g h t i t t o o u r shores, as attested by several depictions of it in the tombs of Tarquinia. The Greeks loved it, too: they called it cynara, from the name - leg- e n d s s a y - o f C y n a r a t h e muse, whose beauty attract- ed the unwanted attention of GIULIA FRANCESCHINI a n d A p i c i u s D e R e C o q u i n a r i a : o u r m o s t f a m o u s a n c e s t o r s c o o k e d them in water and wine and served them with garum, t h e i r f a v o r i t e f i s h c o n d i - ment. Its name in Italian, and in most European languages, comes from the Arabic word al-kharshuf, which means " t h o r n y c h a r d . " I n d e e d , botanists think that arti - chokes are closely related to chards. We know that, dur- ing the Middle Ages, arti- chokes were a delicacy avail- able only to the wealthy, and it continued to be so also during the Renaissance: for instance, it was a wealthy banker and politician, Filip- p o S t r o z z i , t o m a k e a r t i - chokes popular in Florence a n d N a p l e s , a n d i t w a s Caterina de' Medici who "exported" them to France, after her wedding with king Henry II. From France, arti- chokes traveled north to the N e t h e r l a n d s a n d , f r o m t h e r e , t h e y e v e n t u a l l y reached the United Kingdom around 1530: old fox Henry VIII, who had learned about artichokes' aphrodisiac pow- ers, wanted them in his own gardens at all costs. A vegetable for queens and kings, but also beloved by artists of all ages. We find artichokes in Giuseppe Arcimboldo's Vertumnus, and in Clara Peeters' Still life with cheese, artichoke and cherries. Perhaps, though, the most famous representa- tion of an artichoke is Picas- so's Woman with artichoke, painted by the Spanish mas- ter in 1941. Architecture s h o w e d a p e n c h a n t f o r adding artichokes here and there since at least the 17th century, when the famous Fontana del Carciofo was b u i l t i n t h e G i a r d i n i d i Boboli, Florence, by archi- tects Giovan Francesco Susi- ni and Francesco del Tadda. We also find a similar one at t h e P a r q u e d e l R e t i r o i n Madrid, Spain (1781-82) and a m u c h m o r e r e c e n t o n e , created in 1956, in Piazza Trieste e Trento in Naples. W r i t e r s , t o o , f i n d a r t i - chokes poetically charming: in his Ode to the Artichoke, Pablo Neruda, for instance, calls them tender-hearted warriors, in name of their delicate heart surrounded by tougher, thorny leaves. Full of history and inspi- rators of art: but what can w e s a y a b o u t a r t i c h o k e s when it comes to nutrition? Well, they are full of iron, minerals, and fibers, and rich in vitamins B and C. They also have antioxidant and purifying properties, especially for the liver, rea- son for which you often find them in detox concoctions. T h e y a r e a l s o r i c h i n flavonoids. Italian artichokes are among the most renowned around the world. We grow several varieties, from North to South: we have the Spin- oso di Liguria and the Spin- oso di Palermo, which are characterized by their very thorny appearance, but also the Violetto di Toscana and t h e V i o l e t t o d i V e n e z i a , known for their purple-like hues. The most famous, per- haps because they have been awarded a PGI denomina- tion (protected geographi- cal indication) by the EU, are Paestum artichokes from Campania and romaneschi artichokes (also known as mamme romane): the latter a r e e a s y t o r e c o g n i z e because of their very round shape. Last but not least, arti- chokes in Italy are also a … popular drink. Cinar is a famous amaro made with carciofi, known for its diges- tive properties and also used to make refreshing aperitivi. LA BUONA TAVOLA RECIPES COOKING TIPS SEASONAL DISHES Artichokes: are they really just thorny and bitter? that serial cheating devil of Zeus, the father of all gods. Because she dared to resist h i m , C y n a r a w a s t r a n s - formed into a thorny flower, the artichoke. This is tradi- tionally considered the rea- son why this spiky yet fleshy vegetable is believed to be an aphrodisiac. We know the Romans h a d a p e n c h a n t f o r a r t i - chokes, too, as attested by Pliny's Naturalis Historia Artichokes and artichoke hearts (Photo: Olga Kriger/Dreamstime) OPEN 8AM - 5PM MONDAY TO SATURDAY. SUNDAY CLOSED

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