Cardoon
by Elena Nosyreva
Title
Cardoon
Artist
Elena Nosyreva
Medium
Photograph - Photography
Description
The cardoon (Cynara cardunculus), also called the artichoke thistle, is a thistle-like plant in the family Asteraceae. It is the naturally occurring form of the same species as the globe artichoke, and has many cultivated varieties. It is native to the western and central Mediterranean region, where it was domesticated in ancient times.
While the flower buds can be eaten much as the artichoke, more often the stems are eaten after being braised in cooking liquid. The flower buds of wild cardoons are still widely collected and used in southern Italy and Sicily.
Cardoon leaf stalks, which look like large celery stalks, can be served steamed or braised, and have an artichoke-like flavor. They are harvested in winter and spring, being best just before the plant flowers. In the Abruzzi region of Italy, Christmas lunch is traditionally started with a soup of cardoon cooked in chicken broth with little meatballs (lamb or, more rarely, beef), sometimes with the further addition of egg or fried chopped liver and heart. Cardoons are also an ingredient in one of the national dishes of Spain, the "cocido madrileno", a slow-cooking, one-pot, meat and vegetable dinner simmered in broth.
The cardoon is also grown as an ornamental plant for its imposing architectural appearance, with very bright silvery-grey foliage and large flowers in selected cultivars.
Original photography by Elena Nosyreva, digitally enhanced with textures.
All copyrights reserved by Elena Nosyreva, 2013.
Uploaded
June 19th, 2013
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