To better understand the artichoke or artichoke plant , we have 6 surprising curiosities:
•Each plant can live for about four to five years.
• It reproduces through shoots or stems , meaning developed from the lower part of the plant.
• The plant has long and thick stems, reaching up to 2 meters in height and it is at its tip that artichokes are born. Depending on the variety and origin of each one, the leaves and fruit change their appearance, size and color…
• They belong to the thistle family and their fruit is actually an edible flower developed inside the bulb, called the heart , precisely the most tender and tasty part of the Cynara product assortment. If they are left on the plant uncut, it ends up blooming, sheltered and protected thanks to some hard leaves that are known as bracts or stalks, its violet color being very similar to the thistle flower.
• With artichokes, not only are exquisite dishes cooked, but also a curious Italian liquor seasoned with 13 different spices called Cynar, whose name is due to the scientific name, Cynara scolymus. It is an aperitif with an intense aroma and somewhat bitter flavor at the beginning with a sweet touch at the end.
• On the other hand, now that craft beer is so fashionable, we can find one made in Peñíscola, Castellón, based on artichokes grown in the town of Benicarló , famous for its artichoke festival. Its name, Badum, is taken from the tower of medieval origin located on the highest part of a cliff located in Sierra d’Irta, a natural site on the Mediterranean coast.
Due to the characteristic bitter taste of artichokes, certain methods have been used to improve it before putting it up for sale. Added to Peñíscola water it carries malts, hops and wheat whose natural fermentation, that is, without additional carbonates, occurs both in barrels and directly in the bottle after packaging.
