CARDOON-GENERAL INFORMATION

Michigan State University Extension
Preserving Food Safely - 01600689
10/13/97

CARDOON-GENERAL INFORMATION


     This vegetable is a member of the thistle family and is
a  close relative of the globe artichoke,  although it looks
more like celery.  Cardoon is cultivated for its fleshy root
and stems,  some of which are six or seven feet long.  There
are also many wild varieties,  but they are smaller and less
tender.   Tenderness in the cultivated varieties is  ensured
through blanching,  which involves tying the leaves together
after they have attained maximum growth and storing them for
some time before marketing.                                 

     The  artichoke enjoyed by the ancient Greeks and Romans
was  actually  cardoon.   It was also prominent  in medieval
cooking.   It is popular in  Europe  today,  but  less so in
the United States, where the stems are often known as chard.
They  should  not be confused with  real  chard,  or spinach
beet.                                                       

     The main root,  which is thick,  fleshy and tender,  is
often  boiled,  then served cold in salad.   It may also  be
sauted   in butter or served in Bechamel sauce.   The  stems
may  be  treated like asparagus or celery,  and the  leaves,
like spinach.                                               


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