Artichoke Hearts Day

What the day is

Artichoke Hearts Day is observed on March 16. The globe artichoke is an unopened flower bud of a thistle, and the heart is the fleshy base of that bud once the tough outer bracts and the fibrous choke are removed.

Origin and background

It does something to the palate that almost no other food does. Artichokes contain cynarin, and after eating them many people find that anything drunk afterward, including plain water, tastes distinctly sweet. The effect appears to come from the compound temporarily interfering with sweet receptors on the tongue, so that rinsing them clear registers as a burst of sweetness. It is strong enough that it genuinely complicates wine pairing, and sommeliers treat artichokes as one of the hardest things to match.

Not everyone experiences it, which has made it a minor subject of interest in taste research.

The second characteristic is browning. Cut surfaces discolor within minutes through enzymatic oxidation, the same process that darkens a cut apple, which is why preparation traditionally happens with a bowl of acidulated water to hand. Acid slows the enzyme, which is also why artichokes are so often cooked or preserved with lemon.

The choke itself is worth understanding rather than fearing. It is the immature flower, a mass of fine fibers that would have become the purple bloom, and it is inedible but harmless, removed by scraping with a spoon once the bud is cooked or trimmed. A very young artichoke has not developed one at all, which is why baby artichokes can be eaten whole.

Left to open, the bud produces a large thistle flower, and artichokes grown for seed are conspicuous for exactly that reason.

How to take part

• Drink water immediately after eating one and notice what happens.
• Keep a bowl of lemon water beside you while trimming to stop browning.
• Scrape the choke out with a spoon rather than wrestling it.
• Try baby artichokes, which need no choke removal at all.
• Serve them with something acidic rather than wine, which struggles.