Short History of Artichokes

The artichoke (Cynara scolimus), widespread throughout the Mediterranean region, has been known since Egyptian times and was described by both Columella in his work “De Re Rustica” and by Pliny the Elder in “Naturalis Historia”.

According to some historians, it was the Etruscans that first cultivated this vegetable and confirmed by wall paintings featuring artichoke leaves found in tombs in the necropolis of Tarquinia.

They seem to have disappeared for centuries before being reintroduced by Renaissance banker Filippo Strozzi in Tuscany in 1466.

As a young man he and his family had been banned from Florence due to their opposition to Cosimo de' Medici. 

They moved to Naples and it was from here they sourced seeds originally procured from the Moors in Spain.

A legendary phrase is asscociated with carciofi from the period of Italian Unification: "Italy is like an artichoke; best take it leaf by leaf"

The word carciofi in Italian actually derives the Arabic 'al-kharshuf'.

Latin gives us both cynara scolimus and cynara cardunculus, the latter a reference to the thistle.

Artichokes have great health benefits not least for the liver and stomach but don't overdo them.

Catherine de' Medici, wife of Henry II, was so fond of them she suffered chronic indigestion after bingeing on them in June 1576. 

In Lazio, the artichoke "par excellence" is the Carciofo Romanesco, otherwise known as “mammola” or “cimarolo” due to it bulbous flower shape.

Presently two types of Carciofo Romanesco are cultivated in the coastal zones to the north of Rome.

Here the soil and climatic conditions are ideal for the cultivation of the “Castellammare” (early ripening) and the “Campagnano” varieties (late ripening).