The artichoke has very ancient origins, the first evidence of which dates back to prehistoric times. One of the earliest legends about the artichoke is that the nymph Cynara was transformed into a spiny, pointed plant after refusing Jupiter’s courtship.
The first reliable sources on the consumption of artichokes in Italy date back to 1736 in Apulia, when the priests in a seminary in Otranto were served this vegetable. A few years later, in 1773, Abbot Vincenzo Corrado of Oria (Brindisi), wrote a manuscript of recipes in which the artichoke was the main ingredient.
Cultivation, however, began after the Second World War; initially only in some provinces of Apulia, then it began to spread to other parts of Italy.
The artichoke boom came in the mid-1960s; according to the Italian Institute of Statistics, production doubled from 6,500 hectares to more than 14,000.
The artichoke also has very healthy properties, for example, it helps eliminate toxins, promotes diuresis and is an ally of the liver in combating many liver diseases. It is rich in fibre and is a valuable source of potassium and iron salts.
Small artichokes in oil is a preserve characterised by its intense flavour and the tenderness of its flesh, which has its roots in ancient times.
Italiano



