Carciofi alla Giudia – Roman Jewish-Style Artichokes Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

How do you eat Jewish Roman artichokes? ›

Carciofi alla giudia are eaten whole. First you pick off and eat the outer leaves, which are like potato chips, and then you move on to the center, which has a rich, buttery consistency and flavor. There's a great video tutorial here, in which members of the Roman Jewish community demonstrate how the dish is prepared.

Jewish-Style Artichokes (Carciofi alla Giudia)

Then, just before serving they are re-fried at a higher temperature to encourage them to open out like sunflowers and crisp up the leaves until they turn golden. After a sprinkle of salt, they are eaten petal-by-petal with the hands, like potato chips.

Rome's artichokes are world-famous and very popular in the Roman cuisine. Unlike other artichokes, they are round and soft, and more importantly they have no spines.

In the traditional version, artichokes are deep-fried whole until they are crispy and golden brown and enjoyed simply with salt, pepper, and lemon wedges. To prepare them, the tough leaves of the outer artichoke are removed, and the artichoke is then flattened slightly to help it cook evenly.

When preparing an artichoke, discard the center "choke" (except in baby artichokes), but the base of the petals, the center of the stem and the entire artichoke heart are completely edible and easy to cook. That's when all the fun begins!

Rub all cut surfaces with a lemon half to keep them from turning dark. Some cooks like to soak the trimmed artichoke in lemony water for an hour or so before cooking to improve taste and tenderness.

Although eating cooked artichokes is more common, they're just as delicious served raw – especially when they're super fresh. And like other vegetables, consuming raw artichokes allows your body to absorb more of its nutrients, like Vitamin C, which is sensitive to heat.

Artichoke heads are still harvested by hand and, since this depends on their ripening, this may span several weeks. This leads to particularly high production costs, making artichokes among the most expensive vegetables on the market (at equivalent edible quantities).

The artichoke has good nutritional qualities which make it an important element of the characteristic Mediterranean diet: in fact, it gives energy and has a detoxifying and diuretic effect, particularly indicated for people who suffer from asthenia and over-exhaustion, kidney and liver problems or lack of iron in the ...

Unlike mushy canned artichokes, we find that jarred artichokes stay fairly firm and meaty. We admit they're not quite as fresh-tasting as frozen artichokes, but like we said, they're great in a pinch when we need a quick weeknight meal. These artichoke hearts can round out a frittata or top a quick pizza.

What country eats the most artichokes? ›

Worldwide artichoke production is 1.59 million metric tons. Egypt comes next with 269,899 metric tons and Spain produces 199,940 metric tons. These three countries represent about half of the world's market. Italy also is the largest consumer, enjoying about 394,000 metric tons in 2018 and exporting 4,800 metric tons.

“Alla Giudia” refers to “alla giudea” (that means “something related to Jews”). The name was given by Romans, who fell immediately in love with the fried artichokes. So much that they even visited the ghetto very often to enjoy this dish.

You do not have to peel the artichoke before cooking or eating but they do often contain dirt and grit, so ensure you scrub them well before cooking. If you prefer them peeled, remember that they discolour quickly, so place in a bowl of water and lemon juice to prevent browning.

They can take the form of velvety purees, soups, hearty gratins, crunchy crisps, stew fillings, creamy mash and even ice cream! In certain parts of Europe, Jerusalem Artichokes are even used to make cordial or brandy! They pair well with game as well as poultry, fish dishes or root vegetables.