Written by: Holladay Allen
Native Foods Tribe Member
Oh the artichoke! How I adore this strange vegetable. From the ritualistic process one must complete to consume an entire artichoke to its aesthetic beauty, the artichoke is a very special plant indeed.
I met the artichoke at an early age. We had them at least once a week as precursor to one of my mother’s gourmet extravaganzas we were lucky enough to call dinner. As a child, the artichoke had an enormous appeal based on the fact that its small succulent leaves acted as the device that ladled small mouthfuls of béarnaise, hollandaise, or hot garlicky butter onto my taste buds. These days I prefer my artichoke leaves doused in a lemony aioli. My favorite recipe is one from none other than the Chef Tanya. It is a simple recipe of Veganaise, lemon peel, and basil chiffonade all mixed together. I could eat this on just about anything, but it goes REALLY well on artichokes.
One of the most fascinating elements of the artichoke is the actual disassembly and consumption of it. It is a hands on process that is just screaming to be used in some sort of a metaphor. Each leaf is plucked off one by one until you reach the heart, which is protected by a small forest of densely packed little hairs that you do NOT want to make the mistake of putting in your mouth. Misery will ensue if you do so, just ask my dad.
On one of their very first dates, my mother prepared steamed artichokes with dinner one evening. Having never eaten nor heard of an artichoke before, he was slightly befuddled when she placed the artichoke in front of him. Not wanting to seem uncool or out of the know, he followed her lead as she started dismantling the strange plant. Distracted by conversation or lightheaded from the wine, he seemed to miss the part where she removed those pesky little hairs before consuming the heart. He went for it and shoveled the whole heart, hairs and all, into his mouth. It was awful. Those were his exact words. He woke up the next morning and there were still artichoke hairs in his mouth.
Here is a quick breakdown on how to eat an artichoke: Starting with the first leaf place the bottom half in your mouth lining your teeth up to the halfway point on the leaf. Bite down. Then drag the leaf from your mouth. You will scrape away the “meatiest” part of the artichoke. Continue with each leaf until you reach the center, which will yield leaves that are lighter in color and much more tender. Oftentimes, you can just eat the last cluster of leaves in one mouthful. No teeth scraping required! Alas you have arrived at the forest d’hairs, the last obstacle standing between you and the coveted heart. Carefully scoop out the hairs and discard. You have made it. You worked hard to obtain this heart. What a process, eh? Completely worth it though.
Why all this talk about artichokes? (well, I do love my tattoo!)
Well, we are right smack dab in the middle of the artichoke’s peak season! Artichokes are available all year long but they are at their most appealing between March and May, and about eighty percent of all commercially grown artichokes come from Castroville in our home state of California. You can find some beautiful specimens at the farmer’s markets right now. The accompanying picture was taken at the Santa Monica farmer’s Market. Besides being delicious and fun to eat, the artichoke has many health benefits. They help support the liver and gall bladder as well as lowering cholesterol. A medium sized cooked artichoke also has a whopping 10.3 grams of fiber. So get out to your local farmer’s market and check out the chokes! Or better yet, head up to Castroville May 15th and 16th for their annual Artichoke Festival.
It is always fun to know how to say things in other languages, right?
French = Artichaut
Spanish = Alcachofa
German = Artischoke
Italian = Carciofo
