The Cardoon or Cadone, in French the Cardon, a Vegetable That you May Not of Heard of.

from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

The cardoon plant.
Photograph courtesy of Edsel L.
www.flickr.com/photos/edsel_/15112820688/
   

The cardoon is a cousin of the artichoke

The cardoon is a member of the thistle family and a cousin of the artichoke. Cardoon is long leafed, and the stalk and the ribs of the leaves look somewhat like branch celery. Eat cardoon as a vegetable, and you will find that its taste is somewhere between artichoke and celery. Left-to-grow cardoons have small flowers that are also edible. The cardoon will be on menus in southern France and Spain, and Italy called the cardo.


Peeled cardoons
Photograph courtesy of Lablascovegmenu
www.flickr.com/photos/lablasco/4583606147/

The cardoon or cardone, in French the cardon, needs warmth to grow and in France is mainly cultivated in the south and Corsica. The edible part of this vegetable is the leaves' ribs and stems. The introduction of this plant into France, like the apricot and cherry trees and much else that makes the French table interesting, is blamed on the usual suspects, the Romans.

The cardoon on French Menus:

   

Gratin de Cardon – A traditional garnish, a side dish. Buttered cardoon stems and ribs browned in the oven with milk and cream. Before serving, grated cheese is added, and all is then braised under the grill. A version of this dish may also be on menus as the typically Lyonnaise dish of gratin de cardon à la moelle. In the Lyonnaise version of gratin de cardon, marrow bones are added to the recipe, and they add a great deal to the flavor.

   

Large white cardoons in the market

 alongside are smaller mauve artichoke shoots.

Photograph courtesy of judywitts.

www.flickr.com/photos/overthetuscanstove/4335810438/

               

Le Porcelet, Dos Rôti Sur Couenne Cardon à La Crème de Châtaigne en Tartelette, Jus Grassouillet  -   A thick cut from the back of a suckling pig roasted with pork rinds and the natural fatty cooking juices the roasting creates. Here it is served with a cardoon and a cream of chestnut pie.  Couennes are pork rinds and are called pork scratchings or pork cracklings in the UK. Pork rinds are used in French cuisine for flavoring, especially in winter recipes such as stews and cassoulets.

     

 

The cardoon flower.

Photograph courtesy of  Leonora (Ellie) Enking

www.flickr.com/photos/33037982@N04/5975945286/

        

 Les Queues de Langoustines Poêlées, Cardon Braisé, Jus de Crustacés.  The tails of the Dublin Bay Prawn, lightly fried and served with braised cardoon.  

Dublin Bay prawns are mostly about 18 cm (7”) long with all the meat in the tail; they are neither a prawn nor a lobster.  This crustacean is the real scampi, not the shrimp often called scampi on USA menus. In this recipe, the tails, where all the meat is, are lightly brazed with the juices of other crustaceans made from their shells.


Whole grilled seabass with cardoon
Photograph courtesy of Chris Chen 陳依勤
www.flickr.com/photos/cchen/60778091/

Cardoon in the languages of Frnce’s neighbors:

(Catalan -  carde, cardon), (Dutch - kardoen), (German -  cardy, kardonenartischocke), (Italian - cardo), (Spanish -  cardo), (Latin - cynara cardunculus).

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Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman

 

behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com

 

Copyright 2010, 2015, 2021
 
 
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