First National Artichoke Festival

Reading the Rural Supplement of the newspaper Clarín back on September 22, 2007, in one of those small news items that are there and barely visible, I found one that caught my attention. First National Artichoke Festival. It caught my attention that a festival would be held in honor of the artichoke. This vegetable is also known as "alcachofa" (or "alcaucil"); I knew it by both names and by sight, but I don't usually eat it. Is this plant really that important? It is—Italy, Spain, and France rank as top global producers, followed by Argentina. The importance of the National Artichoke Festival is due, from what I read on a website, to "rescuing local traditions, promoting vegetable consumption, and planning a day in the country for family fun." In other countries, a festival has been celebrated in its honor for a long time.
www.agroalternativo.com.ar/ www.agroalternativo.com.ar/fiesta/index.htm www.impulsobaires.com.ar/nota.php?id=31731

I am leaving a link with information about the vegetable: es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cynara_scolymus and I transcribe what interests me:

Benefits
In natural medicine, artichokes (or the juice resulting from boiling their leaves) are widely used to treat anemia, diabetes, constipation, gallstones, gout, or rheumatism. Besides aiding digestion, this vegetable is highly diuretic and very rich in minerals, vitamins, and fiber. On the other hand, its low calorie content makes it especially recommended in weight-loss diets.

Curiosities

•    Pablo Neruda, Nobel Prize in Literature (1971), wrote the poem Ode to the Artichoke as part of his book Elemental Odes.
•    The Dutch introduced artichokes to England, where by 1530 they had already begun to grow at Newhall in Henry VIII's garden.
•    They were introduced to the United States of America in the 18th century through Louisiana by the French, and in California by the Spanish.
•    Nowadays, artichokes are mainly cultivated in France, Italy, and Spain. In the United States of America, the state of California accounts for most of the artichoke production in the country (nearly 100%). And within California, Monterey County accounts for over 80% of the total.
•    In 1949, Marilyn Monroe became the first Artichoke Queen at the official annual contest held in California ever since.

ODE TO THE ARTICHOKE from Elemental Odes – Pablo Neruda

The artichoke with a tender heart dressed like a warrior, erect, built a small dome, kept waterproof under its scales, by its side the crazy vegetables curled up, turned into tendrils, cattails, moving bulbs, underground slept the carrot with red whiskers, the vine dried its tendrils where wine climbs, the cabbage spent its time trying on skirts, the oregano perfuming the world, and the sweet artichoke there in the garden, dressed like a warrior, burnished like a pomegranate, proud, and one day one next to another in large wicker baskets, walked through the market to fulfill its dream: the military.

In rows it was never so martial as at the fair, the men among the vegetables in their white shirts were marshals of the artichokes, the tight rows, the command voices, and the detonation of a falling box, but then comes María with her basket, chooses an artichoke, does not fear it, examines it, observes it against the light as if it were an egg, buys it, mixes it up in her bag with a pair of shoes, with a cabbage and a bottle of vinegar until entering the kitchen she submerges it in the pot.

Thus ends in peace this career of the armed vegetable called artichoke, then scale by scale we undress the delicacy and eat the peaceful paste of its green heart.

 

 Originally published on 09-22-2007