The Food Alphabetical Part 2 – A

Well I did promise it would return, did I not? But just to confuse you, the A in question isn't really an A at all. Yes, artichoke does begin with the letter A, but today we're referring to the Jerusalem "variety". Now not only is our hero not really an artichoke at all, it certainly has nothing to do with Jerusalem. Confused? Read on.

It's relatively rare to have a veg whose roots (pun intended, sorry) are so confused. It is in fact, native to North America. That, however, didn't stop the French for naming it topinambour, after the Brazilian town of Tupinambá. I suspect an explorer may have mislabelled his samples. It occurs to me that you may not all have included them in your cooking. You eat the fibrous tuber, which explains why it has sometimes been labelled Canadian potato. And some people call them sunchokes.  It's not only teenagers who have to struggle for identity.

Jerusalem Artichoke Flowers

Sunflowers

And why the Jerusalem name? Ah, much simpler. That's because the flowers resemble sunflowers: and the Italian word for sunflower is girasole, which somehow was corrupted to Jerusalem.  All clear now?.

They are in season at the moment. What to do with them? I suppose we should begin with a health warning, the reason why some people refuse to have anything to do with them. A quick chemistry lesson. Unlike most root veg, Jerusalem artichokes contain a carbohydrate known as inulin (nothing to do with insulin). For some reason this isn't digested in the small intestine, which is the first port of call after the stomach: however, when it reaches the large intestine it begins to ferment which obviously produces gas. You don't need me to elaborate further on the side effects. Better to consume in small doses.

People have said that the flavour is similar to globe artichoke, though I'm not sure I'd go along with that, probably because of the very different texture. They were very popular in 19th century France, being very easy to grow, but they fell out of favour. I rather like their slightly sweet nuttiness. You can simply boil them and serve with butter, like potatoes, or purée them. They also make excellent soup, one of the few which I think is improved with a drop of cream.

I you haven't tried them, I suggest you add them to your repertoire. Very simple to cook (though less so to peel). Just don't say you haven't been warned.

On The Side will return in two weeks