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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