# Who has never eaten an artichoke? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 20, 2005, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515 "2005-12-20T21:03:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/21 "2005-12-21T01:07:02Z")
I eat it reasonably regularly. It’s commonly served as one of the components of \*antipasto \* in Italian restaurants, along with eggplant, capsicum, mushrooms etc. ---
**Author:** ![Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/96bed5/32.png) [@Patty\_O\_Furniture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patty_O_Furniture)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/22 "2005-12-21T01:11:01Z")
Artichokes look unappealing - sort of like a green pinecone. Second, they have an ugly name - the same reason I’m not interested in trying a cumquat. Although I think I’ve eaten some in California Pizza Kitchen’s spinach dip, which is very tasty. ---
**Author:** ![Cunctator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/43a26b/32.png) [@Cunctator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cunctator)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/23 "2005-12-21T01:16:43Z")
> [@Patty O'Furniture](#): > > Artichokes look unappealing - sort of like a green pinecone. Second, they have an ugly name - the same reason I’m not interested in trying a cumquat. Then you’re missing out. Cumquat jam - delicious!!! ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/24 "2005-12-21T01:18:44Z")
Never have. I’ve never been any place where they were served, as far as I know, and I have no idea how to select or prepare them. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/25 "2005-12-21T01:19:38Z")
I tried to eat artichoke hearts once, damned near puked from the taste and i was lucky enough to get the thing out of my mouth before I started hurling. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/26 "2005-12-21T07:32:33Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Cut off the end and boil it until it’s tender. Pull the leaves off and dip in in (garlic) salted butter, or mayonaise. (Butter vs. mayo is sure to start an argument!) Scrape the whitish goodness off the end with your teeth. Discard the rest of the leaf and proceed to the next. When the leaves have gotten too small for comfortable eating, remove the rest. Use a spoon to scoop out the ‘pin-feathers’ (immature leaves). Be sure to get rid of them all. Dip the heart in your butter (or mayo) and eat it. This is the best part, and the preliminary leaf-eating is a nice prelude. This sounds like a lot of trouble. Can’t I just rinse some celery stalks and eat them? 😛 ---
**Author:** ![clairobscur](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@clairobscur](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clairobscur)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 8:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/27 "2005-12-21T08:22:09Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > Yes. > I suggest Hollandaise. Pfffff…vinaigrette, obviously! ---
**Author:** ![Strinka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/strinka/32/512_2.png) [@Strinka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Strinka)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/28 "2005-12-21T08:45:28Z")
Nope. Never eaten one. At least, not that I know of. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/29 "2005-12-21T09:01:31Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > [Artichoke](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Globe_artichoke). On the other hand… [Artichoke!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke) It pays to be specific; in this thread, people seem to be talking about _globe_ artichokes - the unopened flower bud of a large species of thistle. Jerusalem artichokes are the potato-like tubers of a relative of the sunflower. I have tried globe artichokes a couple of times and never been all that impressed with them; I’ll probably have them again though, as they are supposedly common in-season inclusions in the organic vegbox I have delivered; jerusalem artichokes, on the other hand, are something I actively seek out. They taste like earth, in a good way. ---
**Author:** ![Anastasaeon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/73ab20/32.png) [@Anastasaeon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anastasaeon)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/30 "2005-12-21T09:07:13Z")
Never had 'em. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 12:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/31 "2005-12-21T12:11:16Z")
I love artichoke hearts, but I’ve only had them in restaraunts. Until I read ths thread, I had no idea how to prepare them. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/32 "2005-12-21T12:39:25Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Never have. I’ve never been any place where they were served, as far as I know, and I have no idea how to select or prepare them. The smaller ones are usually more tender. You can steam them. The hardest part is removing the hairball that resides at the bottom of the center of the leaves. You’d trim the little prickly point off the end of each leaf. Cut the stem level so it stands up nicely. Then you prepare a little bowl of garlic butter. You pluck each leaf off, dip it in the garlic butter, and run it between your teeth to remove the soft ‘heart’ of the artichoke into your mouth. When all the leaves are gone, the base they were attached to is cut and dipped into the garlic butter. This is the best part. It’s a lot of work, but it is a very sexy food. Mmmm…artichokes rock. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/33 "2005-12-21T13:30:34Z")
How about home made mayonaisse with egg white, olive oil and garlic? I could eat a rock dipped in that. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![FaerieBeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e95f7d/32.png) [@FaerieBeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FaerieBeth)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/34 "2005-12-21T17:22:29Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > It pays to be specific I have never eaten a Jerusalem Artichoke. I have eaten Globe Artichokes. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/35 "2005-12-21T17:29:17Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > On the other hand… > > [Artichoke!](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerusalem_artichoke) > > It pays to be specific; in this thread, people seem to be talking about _globe_ artichokes - the unopened flower bud of a large species of thistle. Jerusalem artichokes are the potato-like tubers of a relative of the sunflower. Indeed, I thought about specifying _globe_ artichoke. But I think most people (or most Americans, anyway) automatically think of the globe artichoke, and the link is also to the globe. ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2005, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/36 "2005-12-21T23:14:02Z")
Not me. There are a lot of things I’ve never eaten. There are only a few things I won’t eat. ---
**Author:** ![DrLoveGun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecb155/32.png) [@DrLoveGun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLoveGun)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 12:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/37 "2005-12-22T00:10:45Z")
I have not eaten an artichoke this week. But it’s early yet. The only appropriate dip is melted butter with lemon juice. Mmmmmmmm…artichoke. ---
**Author:** ![AThingWithFeathers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecae2f/32.png) [@AThingWithFeathers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AThingWithFeathers)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/38 "2005-12-22T00:18:06Z")
They look suspiciously like asparagus when all buttered up, and they have leaves. So no. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/39 "2005-12-22T00:25:22Z")
Asparagus is yummy, too, if prepared well. What’s this about leaves, though? ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2005, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515/40 "2005-12-22T01:26:26Z")
> [@carnivorousplant](#): > > How about home made mayonaisse with egg white, olive oil and garlic? > I could eat a rock dipped in that. 🙂 I don’t know what that is but it’s certainly not a mayonaisse. Did you mean egg yolk? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/who-has-never-eaten-an-artichoke/336515.md?page=3)