Die Artischocke

Not too long ago, I sat down to a lovely steamed artichoke with my family. As the resident dietitian-in-training, I faced questions about this edible bud and its distant relation, the Jerusalem artichoke. I gave superficial answers and resolved to dig  deeper later.

"Sunchoke bloom" by renoir_girl

First, the Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), aka sunchoke, aka sunroot, aka earth apple.*

The sunchoke is in the same genus as the sunflower, which you could guess by the picture at right. Unlike sunflowers, however, sunchokes have an edible tuber packed with the carbohydrate inulin. Inulin is a fructan (polymer of fructose molecules) that resists digestion. The fructose means it can be a low calorie sweetener and its polymeric nature places it into the fiber family. Another source of inulin is chicory root, which you will find at the top of the ingredients list of Fiber One bars.

Second, the globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus). Did you know it's a thistle?

"Artichoke plant" by Miran Rijavec

Both the sunchoke and artichoke are in the daisy family, (Asteraceae), but that's where the resemblance ends. We eat the scales of the artichoke bud, as well as the "heart," after removing the immature florets in the center (the "choke" or "beard"). Artichokes can be harvested from the spring all the way through mid-autumn. Most of the US's artichokes are grown in California, as they require fairly warm weather (hardiness zone 7 and above, in case you're wondering).

The artichoke's nutritional selling points include vitamin C, magnesium, and folate, as well as a healthy dose of fiber. Ocean Mist would love for you to believe artichokes are an antioxidant powerhouse. I had difficulty deciphering the USDA article they cited, but certainly believe eating an artichoke now and then is a delightful and healthful experience.

* 50 points for anyone who can tell me what a French "earth apple" is.