The market · Vegetables · Southern Europe, The Middle East

Artichokes

The unopened flower bud of a thistle: the fleshy base of each leaf and the heart beneath the choke are what's eaten.

nutty · grassy · bitter
Artichokes

What to do with it

Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleArtichoke would temper its sweetnessKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaArtichoke would temper its sweetness

Kinds

Large globe
Boiled whole and eaten leaf by leaf.
Romanesco
Round, violet-green, little choke — for carciofi alla romana.
Small violet / baby
Young enough to eat almost whole, even raw.

Goes with

lemonolive oilgarlicmint

Knowing it

Where to buy
Heavy and tight; they should squeak when squeezed.
Worth knowing
Rub cut surfaces with lemon, or drop into lemon water — they blacken in minutes.

More vegetables, in season with it

VegetablesAgrettimineral, faintly salty, crunchyNot cooked here yetVegetablesAsparagusgrassy, sweetNot cooked here yetVegetablesBamboo shootssweet, earthy, crisp5 classicsVegetablesBroad beansnutty, greenNot cooked here yet