the.com/artichoke
a flower you eat before it blooms, defended like a medieval fortress
means A thistle-like vegetable whose edible flower bud is eaten by stripping off its tough leaves and scooping out the prized heart.
from From Italian articiocco, which came from Spanish alcarchofa, in turn from the Arabic al-kharshufa — the 'al-' being the familiar Arabic article that rides into so many words touched by the medieval Mediterranean. English then reshaped the unfamiliar ending into the comfortable-sounding 'choke,' a folk twist that conveniently echoes the inedible, choking 'choke' of fibers guarding the heart — though that resemblance is an accident of the ear, not the word's true root.
- true flower
- Left unpicked, it blooms into a violet thistle
- taste trick
- Cynarin makes water taste sweet afterward
- choke warning
- The fuzzy center can literally choke you
- ancient luxury
- Romans pickled them as a delicacy
- family ties
- It's a cultivated thistle, basically edible weed
castroville artichoke festival — annual festival in castroville, california, usa's artichoke capital, held since 1959
romanesco artichoke — protected italian variety from rome with spiral fractal florets, dop designation
violetto di sicilia — purple heirloom artichoke variety from sicily with tender edible stems