Some things you might not know about artichokes:
- are in the same family as lettuce.
- are a kind of thistle
- The core of the artichoke stem is edible as well – don’t throw it away!
- If you cook artichokes in an aluminum pot it will turn the pot grey.
Botanical Information
Family: Asteraceae (the daisy family).
Scientific Name: Cynara cardunculus L.
Etymology: articiocco, Northern Italy, a variant of Italian. arcicioffo, from Old Spanish, probably from influenced by the Italian ciocco for stump.
Uses: The flower buds are boiled or fried – often dipped in sauce (eg. hollandaise, aioli etc). The part that is eaten are the fleshy leaves or bracts surrounding the inflorescence.
- Artichoke