What are cardoons and how do you cook them?
We have recently seen a surge in questions, always with the same topic: what are cardoons and how do you cook them? The cardoon is a vegetable belonging to the same family of artichoke, with which it has some points in common both at an aesthetical and nutritional level. With a large purple flower, just like the artichoke’s one, the cardoon can reach a height of one meter and a half. Their taste is similar again to the one of artichoke, slightly bitterish, but with very light nuances that reminds celery, of which it also recalls its shape. As opposed to artichokes, with cardoons you just eat their stems.
Cultivated since Roman times, it grows in different types of soil and in areas having a mild climate, where it is harvested from the end of September to the first days of February. In some areas of Italy, it is considered a perennial plant because of its annual cultivation cycle which can last up to 220 days.
Cardoon is, as we have already said, a vegetable with a slightly bitter taste, so be very careful when buying it and try to choose well! Generally, the green ones are very bitter, while the ones that are slightly bleached tend to be more tender and sweet. Also, another thing you should pay attention to is the firmness and consistency: the cardoon should always be firm and compact, not soft and not even a little open!
What are cardoons: Carduna in Sicily!
This vegetable is known and appreciated all over Italy: in fact, there are many recipes belonging to different Italian regions (Sformato in Piedmont, Minestra di Cardone in Abruzzo and many others – you’ll be able to find out more very soon on our new website, Italian Food Culture).
But what are cardoons for Sicilian? They’re special for us. “Carduna in pastella”, in Sicily and especially in Palermo, are a mainstay of traditional cuisine. Tradition has it that cardoons are prepared during the Christmas season, but it is especially for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th that they’re a must on Sicilian tables!
Battered cardoons are a tasty appetizer to be eaten usually with the hands and that’s no coincidence that they are one of the street foods that you can easily find (again, usually around Christmas) in the typical Friggitorie that you can find across all Sicilian towns, especially in Palermo! We hope you enjoyed our “What are cardoons” article and that you’ll try to make them at home!
Never had them where would I find them
Uncle Giuseppe called Cardone there
We had them on Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s eve. Seasoned breading and fried. They were addictive.
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[…] also baked or stewed potatoes with a sprinkling of fragrant rosemary. In the province of Palermo, cardoons (or better, carduna) are also served, simply boiled in water with lemon juice and seasoned with oil or fried cardoons in […]