The artichoke, known in botany as Cynara scolymus, belongs to the Asteraceae family.
The term Cynara, in Latin 'cinis"literally means 'from ashes". It is no coincidence that ash is used as fertiliser to fertilise the soil for growing this vegetable.
Historical sources attest that its wild variant (the thistle) was already known in the Middle East: the Egyptians used it for therapeutic and dietary purposes.
People such as the Romans and Greeks also introduced it into their diet, creating various recipes that we will discover in the following articles.
It is interesting to look for the origin of the artichoke in a Greek legend.
It is said that the nymph Cynara with ash-coloured hair and green eyes with violet hues, was seduced by Zeus, the father of the gods. But the girl refused the courtship.
Zeus was furious and wanted to punish her, so he transformed her into a flower that recalled the nymph's features. This is why she was changed into a green-coloured artichoke with purple veins to recall the eyes. The thorny and hard exterior represents the proud and irresolute character, the tender and sweet interior symbolises the girl's heart and gentle soul.
Going back over the historical stages, we must remember the year 1000 as the approximate date of the discovery of artichoke plants in Sicily by the Arabs. The Arabs gave it the name ''artichoke''.al-kharshuf"which literally means 'thorn of the earth' as opposed to the Greek translation 'kynara"which means 'gift of the sun'.
Late in 1466, the vegetable reached Naples and Tuscany, and later the rest of the world: France, Holland, Spain, England and America.
Today, world production of the artichoke exceeds 1.5 million tonnes. The figure is interesting because it is the Mediterranean area that holds 60% of it, with Italy in particular holding the record. The areas most involved are: Sicily, Sardinia and Apulia.
Worth mentioning is the town of Niscemi, considered the artichoke capital with numerous varieties cultivated. Among them the nostrale artichoke with which the famous Amaro Paesano and that violet.
One curiosity concerns the famous Hollywood diva, Marylin Monroe. In 1949, she was awarded 'Artichoke Queen' at the first 'Artichoke Festival' in Castroville, California.
Finally, it is interesting to see how the Cynara scolymus è stato oggetto indiscusso dell’arte e della cultura, molti artisti e luminari, lo hanno rappresentato.
Of these, it is worth mentioning the most representative:
- In philosophy and literature, Theophrastus and Pliny wrote verses extolling the virtues of the artichoke. Pablo Neruda does the same in more modern times in his work Ode to the Artichoke.
- There are some sculptural works of the vegetable in Naples, Florence and Madrid;
- In art we refer to L'ortolana of Vincenzo Campi and Woman with artichoke by Pablo Picasso;
Pablo Neruda opens his Ode to the Artichoke collected in the work Odas Elemetales. In an analogy, Neruta compares the artichoke to a dreaming warrior who hides his tenderness under his armour.
The poet emphasises the 'attitude' of this vegetable that like a true soldier. This one lines up in the vegetable gardener's box, as if in the trenches, to be chosen from the many vegetables present, by the beautiful maiden wandering around the market.
The end of the pot artichoke does not coincide with its expectations of greatness and popularity. On the contrary, it reveals its calm inner aspect and pleasant taste.
The tender-hearted artichoke dressed as a warrior,
shaggy built a small dome,
kept dry under its scales,
next to him the crazy vegetables curled up,
became tendrils,
moving inflorescences rhizomes;
underground slept the red-whiskered carrot,
the vine withered its branches from which the wine rises,
the cabbage started trying on skirts,
oregano to perfume the world,
and the sweet artichoke there in the garden dressed as a warrior,
burnished like a hand grenade,
proud,
and one fine day,
in close ranks,
in large wicker baskets,
marched to the market to realise his dream:
the militia.
In the rows it was never as martial as at the market,
the men in the middle of the legumes with the white duster were the generals of the artichokes,
compact files,
command voices and the detonation of a falling cassette,
but then comes Maria with her basket,
chooses an artichoke,
does not fear him,
examines it,
observes it against the light as if it were an egg,
buys it,
confuses him in his bag with a pair of shoes,
with a cabbage and a bottle of vinegar until,
entering the kitchen,
he dips it into the pot.
Thus ends the career of the armed vegetable called artichoke in peace,
then scale by scale we peel off the delight and eat the peaceful pasta
of his green heart.
