Cynara scolymus
| Artichoke | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Asterales |
| Family: | Asteraceae |
| Tribe: | Cynareae |
| Genus: | Cynara |
| Species: | Cynara cardunculus |
| Subspecies: | scolymus |
| Binomial name | |
|
Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus L. |
|
| Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
|---|---|
| Energy | 211 kJ (50 kcal) |
|
11.39 g
|
|
| Sugars | 0.99 g |
| Dietary fiber | 8.6 g |
|
0.34 g
|
|
|
2.89 g
|
|
| Vitamins | |
| Vitamin A equiv. |
464 μg
|
| Thiamine (B1) |
(4%)
0.05 mg |
| Riboflavin (B2) |
(7%)
0.089 mg |
| Niacin (B3) |
(7%)
1.11 mg |
| Pantothenic acid (B5) |
(5%)
0.24 mg |
| Vitamin B6 |
(6%)
0.081 mg |
| Folate (B9) |
(22%)
89 μg |
| Vitamin C |
(9%)
7.4 mg |
| Vitamin E |
(1%)
0.19 mg |
| Vitamin K |
(14%)
14.8 μg |
| Minerals | |
| Calcium |
(2%)
21 mg |
| Iron |
(5%)
0.61 mg |
| Magnesium |
(12%)
42 mg |
| Manganese |
(11%)
0.225 mg |
| Phosphorus |
(10%)
73 mg |
| Potassium |
(6%)
286 mg |
| Sodium |
(20%)
296 mg |
| Zinc |
(4%)
0.4 mg |
|
|
|
|
|
| Percentages are roughly approximated using US recommendations for adults. Source: USDA Nutrient Database |
|
The globe artichoke (Cynara cardunculus var. scolymus) is a variety of a species of thistle cultivated as a food.
The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flowers come into bloom. The budding artichoke flower-head is a cluster of many budding small flowers (an inflorescence) together with many bracts, on an edible base. Once the buds bloom, the structure changes to a coarse, barely edible form. Another variety of the same species is the cardoon, a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean region. Both wild forms and cultivated varieties (cultivars) exist.
This vegetable grows to 1.4–2 m (4.6–6.6 ft) tall, with arching, deeply lobed, silvery, glaucous-green leaves 50–82 cm (20–32 in) long. The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 8–15 cm (3–6 in) diameter with numerous triangular scales; the individual florets are purple. The edible portions of the buds consist primarily of the fleshy lower portions of the involucral bracts and the base, known as the "heart"; the mass of immature florets in the center of the bud is called the "choke" or beard. These are inedible in older, larger flowers.
Artichoke contains the bioactive agents apigenin and luteolin.
The total antioxidant capacity of artichoke flower heads is one of the highest reported for vegetables.Cynarine is a chemical constituent in Cynara. The majority of the cynarine found in artichoke is located in the pulp of the leaves, though dried leaves and stems of artichoke also contain it. It inhibits taste receptors, making water (and other foods and drinks) seem sweet.
The artichoke is mentioned as a garden plant in the 8th century BC by Homer and Hesiod. The naturally occurring variant of the artichoke, the cardoon (Cynara cardunculus), which is native to the Mediterranean area, also has records of use as a food among the ancient Greeks and Romans. In North Africa, where it is still found in the wild state, the seeds of artichokes, probably cultivated, were found during the excavation of Roman-period Mons Claudianus in Egypt. Varieties of artichokes were cultivated in Sicily beginning in the classical period of the ancient Greeks; the Greeks calling them kaktos. In that period, the Greeks ate the leaves and flower heads, which cultivation had already improved from the wild form. The Romans called the vegetable carduus (whence the name cardoon). Further improvement in the cultivated form appears to have taken place in the medieval period in Muslim Spain and the Maghreb, although the evidence is inferential only. Names for the artichoke in many European languages today come from medieval Arabic الخرشوف Al Khurshuuf via late medieval Spain (where it is nowadays alcachofa).
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Wikipedia