artichoke

/ahr"ti chohk'/, n.

1. a tall, thistlelike composite plant, Cynara scolymus, native to the Mediterranean region, of which the numerous scalelike bracts and receptacle of the immature flower head are eaten as a vegetable.

2. the large, rounded, closed flower head itself.

3. See Jerusalem artichoke. Also called globe artichoke (for defs. 1, 2).

[1525-35; < Upper It articiocco, var. (by dissimilation) of arciciocco, arcicioffo < *arcarcioffo < OSp alcarchofa < dial. Ar al-kharshuf the artichoke]

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Large, coarse, herbaceous, thistlelike perennial plant (Cynara scolymus) of the composite family.

The thick edible scales and bottom part (heart) of the immature flower heads are a culinary delicacy. The artichoke is native to the Mediterranean and is cultivated extensively in other regions with rich soil and a mild, humid climate. The Jerusalem artichoke is a tuber and does not resemble the artichoke.

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▪ plant

also called  French, or Globe, Artichoke,  

 large, coarse, herbaceous, thistlelike perennial plant (Cynara scolymus) of the Asteraceae family. The thick edible scales and bottom parts of the immature flower heads are a culinary delicacy. The bottom part of the immature flower head is called a heart.

      The aboveground parts of the plant die each year after flowers are formed; new shoots arise the next season to produce rosettes of deeply cut, woolly leaves up to 1 m (3.3 feet) long; later, sturdy, branched flower stalks rise; their flowers are purplish. After four to eight years the cluster of rosettes from a crown becomes crowded, and the size and quality of the heads become reduced. The plant is then renewed by planting divisions of the crown or rooted offshoots. The mature flower heads produce seeds, but the seedlings do not necessarily resemble the variety of the parent plant.

      The artichoke is native to the western and central Mediterranean, whence it was carried to the eastern Mediterranean in ancient times. At that time the young leaves rather than the immature flower heads were eaten; the edible-flower form was first recorded in Italy about 1400. Today it is extensively cultivated in California, France, Belgium, the Mediterranean countries, and other regions with the necessary rich soil and mild, humid climate.

      The artichoke's flavour is delicate and nutlike, and the smaller heads, or buds, are usually the most tender. Artichoke heads are served as a hot vegetable with a sauce or as a cold salad or appetizer.

      The Jerusalem artichoke (q.v.) is a tuber and does not resemble the artichoke.

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