17 Oct /14

Artichoke

The artichoke was grown in England first in the garden of King Henry VIII in 1530 and was referred to in writing in the very next year in connection with the king.  In 1582, Hakluyt recalls how they were introduced  – “In time of memory things have been brought in that were not here before, as the artichoke in time of King Henry the Eight”. As was recorded in yesterday’s Word of the Day contribution, in 1727 Switzer a landscape gardener stated that “artichokes, as most other kitchen vegetables” like deep soil.

And the right soil and climate for the artichoke is the Mediterranean climate. So it is not a surprised that the top three countries producing the vegetable are Italy, Egypt and Spain. Together they produce about half of all the artichokes grown worldwide.

It is hard work getting to the heart of an artichoke which is the softest and most delicious part. This was recognised all the way back in 1542 when a general book on good health commented that “There is nothing used to be eaten of artichokes but the head of them.”  This awareness of the hard work required before you found the heart was commented on  by Inspector Jacques Clouseau in The Pink Panther (2006) who commented “A woman is like an artichoke, you must work hard to get to her heart” .