The Art of the Choke

The other day, I became spontaneously curious towards artichokes. I've heard of them, and seen them around in grocery stores and what not, but I never eaten one. So, I took the liberty of purchasing a couple so I can attempt to eat one.



Before I show you my experience with the artichoke, I shall give you some information about these magnificent vegetables/plants. Artichokes are actually flowers; the leaf part that we eat is pre-bloomed flower pedals. There are 50 artichoke varieties, but the most common known to us is the green ones at your local market. Artichokes are mainly grown in California in America, but grow wildly in Europe and the Mediterranean.

As far as health goes, artichokes have plenty of benefits. Artichokes can increase bile flow (I recently learned in biology that bile is produced in the liver and is used to aid in the digestion of fats. Bile goes from the liver to the processed foods in your small intestine). Due to the benefits it has on the liver, artichokes can also be a good hangover treatment (something worth remembering). They are high in antioxidants (antioxidants prevents heart disease and strokes, boosts the immune system, increases memory and brain function, etc.), increases blood circulation, is high in fiber, and lowers cholesterol. [click the links for more information on the topics]

So now that you know a little more about artichokes, I will show you how I cooked it:

1) Purchase an artichoke. The more weight on it the better.

2) Cut the stem. You don't have to take the entire stem off. It is edible. However some people choose to cut the whole thing.

(It is often suggested to cut off the thorny ends, but if you're like me, you could skip this part. I just advise that you are to be very careful with where you place it. I can't express that to you enough)

3) Take a cup of water and put it in a pot, then bring it to a boil. I added a pinch of salt to the water. Make sure the pot has enough space for the amount of artichokes you are cooking.

4) Add the artichoke(s) to the water and cover it with a lid. Bring water down to a simmer. You don't have to have it sitting upright. It'll cook either way.

5) Wait for at least 20 minutes. These things take a while to cook. Your main goal is to be able to take a fork and poke it through the stem of the artichoke with no problem. You will run out of water eventually, so make sure to add another cup along the way.

6) When done, remove from the pot and cool it off somehow. Either let it sit out or rinse it with some cold water, Please wait before you eat. It will be hot (obviously).

7) Start peeling! You're ready to eat the artichoke. All you need to do is peel off the leaves and scrape off the "meat" with your teeth. It is not necessary to eat the entire leaf. A lot of people like to dip it in garlic mayonnaise, or garlic butter. You can use whatever condiment your heart desires. :-)

8)Remove the choke. Once you've eaten most of the leaves, you will find yourself in the middle of the flower. This is the choke. Just take a spoon and scrape off the fuzzy part. This should be fairly easy. It should look like this when you're done:

9) The big finale. There are no more rules. Just eat the remainder of the artichoke until there's nothing in your hand. All you have to do now is throw the leaves away (or make a compost).

And there you have it. A healthy mini meal that's fun to eat, and worth eating. There are plenty of other ways to cook an artichoke. This was my first time cooking it, and it is pretty simple. I plan on using other methods in the future, but until then, this is my master plan. I hope you all have as much fun and enthusiasm cooking an artichoke as I did. :-D