from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
The globe artichoke.
In
France, a similar artichoke is called the Camus de Bretagne
Photograph courtesy of
305 Seahill.
www.flickr.com/photos/bluehillranch/13570804765/
The globe artichoke.
In France, a similar artichoke is called the Camus de Bretagne
Photograph courtesy of 305 Seahill.
www.flickr.com/photos/bluehillranch/13570804765/
Artichaut - The artichoke.
In France, artichokes will be on far more menus than in North America or the UK. That should not be too surprising as there are many more varieties of artichokes on sale in France.
The artichoke season
The season for most artichokes varieties, which are members of the thistle family, is from April through September. Fortunately, other artichoke varieties are imported at other times. As far as most of us are concerned, with a few notable exceptions (for example, the small violet artichoke from Provence), most artichokes look somewhat similar and affect the taste of different dishes in a relatively similar manner.
Most sauces leave the artichokes' texture untouched while intentionally creating different tastes. There is a large violet artichoke that is often seen in France, it is very attractive. However, when I tried it with the usual sauces, I thought it tasted much like its green cousins.
Large violet artichokes.
Photograph courtesy of mozzercork.
www.flickr.com/photos/mozzercork/171146472/
Dining on small artichokes.
The Artichoke Violet de Provence is a young violet-colored artichoke that was developed in Provence; it may be eaten whole. These and other baby artichokes are grown to be sold when small, about 5 cm (2") across before the choke has had time to develop. Baby artichokes make their differences known by sight and by taste. Most of France's small artichokes, including some that may be served raw in salads, come from the Provence and the Occitanie regions, with others from Brittany. Many of these artichokes are rarely seen in the markets and supermarkets outside Mediterranean Europe so enjoy them when visiting. Artichaut Poivrade will be part of the name of many dishes made with these edible, small, tasty artichokes.
Petits Artichauts Violets à la Barigoule
Photograph
courtesy of Cuisine Actuelle
Cc
Adam/Photo Cuisine
Artichokes
on French Menus:
Petits Artichauts Violet à la
Barigoule - The small violet Provencal artichokes prepared à la Barigoule. Today a barigoule is still made using the small violet Provencal
artichokes braised in oil and white wine. They are often prepared with tomatoes and grated carrots.. You may eat all of these small
artichokes as there is no choke, and all the leaves are edible.
The original artichokes à la barigoule
The original dish of artichauts à la
barigoule can be traced back to the mid-1800s. Then artichokes were cooked with
the "barigoule mushrooms" that grew under or near the artichoke
plants. Those mushrooms are now mostly called the lactaire or lactaire
délicieux in France and the saffron milk cap in English. The saffron milk cap is a tasty mushroom
when well cooked. Unfortunately, in most parts of France, this wild mushroom is
only in season from July through the beginning of October. With such limited
availability and its relatively high price as it is a wild mushroom, today
there will be no wild saffron milk cap mushrooms in your Artichauts Violet à la Barigoule and, more often than not, no
mushrooms at all. Nevertheless,
the name barigoule remains and today's recipes that do use mushrooms
usually use the cultivated button mushroom, the
Champignon de Paris.
On a side note, the saffron milkcap,
which gave the name barigoule to to the original dish, is also famous as the earliest surviving artistic
depiction of a mushroom. It is depicted on a fresco in Herculaneum, the twin Roman town to Pompeii.
Italy. Herculaneum is just 13 km (8 miles) from Pompei and like Pompeii destroyed by a volcano. Herculaneum still, in the main, remains to be excavated.
L’Artichaut Barigoule
Photograph courtesy of MarciaTack
Salade de Coeurs De Palmier et de
Coeurs D'artichauts – A salad of hearts of palm and
artichoke hearts; almost certainly served with a vinaigrette sauce. The hearts
of palm do not come from the tall palm trees we see in the south of France nor
from those that provide us with dates. The palm trees used for hearts of palm, come from the
tropics. These are palms that grow large enough to provide the hearts that we eat in just one year. All palm trees have hearts; however, with these fast-growing small palms, no one has to cut down a 10 meter
(30 foot) high tree and wait ten or twenty years until a new one grows in its
stead. Artichoke hearts are the young, tender leaves attached to a small section
of the artichoke base.
Blanched Artichokes with Olive Oil and Lemon
Photograph courtesy of Alpha.
www.flickr.com/photos/avlxyz/157937831/
.
Tartare De
Thon et Carpaccio d’Artichauts
Violets, Copeaux De
Grana Padano Et Olives Niçoises – A tartar of
tuna and a carpaccio of young,
small, violet artichokes from Provence. The dish comes along with those
unique AOP olives from Nice
and copeaux, shavings, and
Italian Grana Padano cheese. Provence's Violet Artichokes, Nice's AOP Olives,
and Italian cheese show a recipe from
the City of Nice on France’s Côte
d'Azur. Nice has a long connection with Italy and was part of Italy until the
1860s, so do not be surprised by the inclusion of an Italian cheese. Nice has its own
cuisine and history. Don't forget Nice's famous Ratatouille and Salad Nicoise. As a French friend and fellow foodie reminded me
Italy and France have a long and convoluted history. France ruled parts of Italy at various times
in their combined history. Italy became an independent nation-state in 1861 and
that included France’s support when the City of Nice became part of France.
Confit artichokes, cured tuna, blood orange,
olives, and breadcrumbs.
Photograph courtesy of Tristan Kenney.
www.flickr.com/photos/tristankenney/4982602976/
Consommé d'Artichauts
Violets à la Coriandre – A consommé made with
violet artichokes and flavored with the herb coriander, (also
called cilantro). Consommés are clear or clarified soups initially
made with meat and or poultry, and now with vegetables, fish, and or
seafood.
Barbouillade d'Artichauts – A Provencal stew of baby purple artichokes prepared with white wine, streaky bacon, and vegetables.
Eating a whole artichoke with a dipping sauce.
For those who are new to the world of whole artichokes served with a sauce for dipping the leaves and base in, here are a few instructions:
In French homes, and in mine, whole artichokes are often on the menu as a dish where the artichoke is eaten whole while served with a tasty dipping sauce on the side. This is a dish that may be prepared hours or even the day before it is required. Whole artichokes prepared like this are a slow food and in a family or group setting keeps the pace of fast eaters under control. It's a dish that leaves time for talking about the day's happenings.
The first row of drier, outer leaves will have been removed when a restaurant serves this dish, but In a private home, you may need to do that. The next row of leaves on these cooked artichokes are easily pulled off one by one by one. Take a leaf and dip its base in the sauce provided. Then, run the leaf's underside over your teeth and remove the meat that is there and enjoy. You will have the taste and texture of the artichoke along with the sauce. Put the rest of the leaf aside in a bowl that will have been provided.
A whole steamed artichoke for one; to be
eaten with a dipping sauce.
Photograph courtesy of Darya Pino
www.flickr.com/photos/summertomato/5665998450/
When a whole artichoke is well prepared the leaves will be silky, their bases full of creamy meat and the artichoke holds together well. After you have finished pulling off most of the outer leaves you arrive at a rough, stringy, inedible part, that is the choke of the artichoke. Pull, and or cut out, that stringy choke and put it in the bowl provided for the uneaten parts of the leaves. There, underneath the artichoke’s choke is the true prize, the fond d'artichaut, the base of the artichoke,. The base is the tastiest part of the artichoke. Enjoy.
Artichoke flowers
Artichokes are a member of the sunflower and the thistle family and a cousin of the Cardoon or Cadone, in French the Cardon. The artichoke’s choke becomes the flower if it is left to grow.
The artichoke flower.
Photograph courtesy of Renee Grayson
www.flickr.com/photos/132295270@N07/27203248511/
Artichokes in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan – card, comú), (Dutch - kardoen), (German - artischocke), (Italian - carcifio), (Spanish - cardo).
