Eating a Thistle

There are so many annoying know-it-alls in the Paleo world. Perhaps I find them especially annoying because a lot of them are men with cavemen and spears for avatars and are looking for an excuse to be boorish and rude. I don't think we have any evidence that CaveMen were boorish or rude. For all we know they had elaborate systems of manners and behaviors that were required. One of the most annoying Modern Paleo Man arguments you can find is the kind where they argue about whether or not a particular vegetable was eaten and whether or not we should eat certain vegetables in the present. You can even find them arguing over artichokes. Since I have not provided you with a pretend version of myself wrapped in an animal skin holding a spear, my masculinity is not at stake with regard to eating artichokes. I LOVE THEM. They are, to me, like asparagus - a lovely harbinger of spring. Botanically we are eating thistles which reminds me of Eyore and Winnie the Pooh and also brings a little magic to the whole thing. The Globe artichoke is the underdeveloped flower of the plant.

Artichokes are Mediterranean in origin and do not possess any folkloric (or real) historical reputation as poisons (like eggplant and tomatoes). We are not eating an underground stem (such as a tuber). Therefore, I am happy with them.

We do know that hunter-gatherers frequently ate a very high variety of plant species each year and anything that ups my plant variety is good.

Most people steam artichokes and then create a melted butter/lemon concoction for dipping the flower bracts (they are not leaves). When I want to eat butter and lemon I do, but to me the consistency and powerful flavor of a butter/lemon sauce is too much for my sweetly delicious artichoke. I eat it plain with maybe a little sea salt on the heart. Artichokes are notoriously poor matches for wine because they leave a sweet, unusual aftertaste that ruins good wine. So don't get all fancy and serve artichokes when you are trying to show off your wine. Don't cook artichokes in cast iron or stainless steel because they turn an unpleasant gray color (although they taste fine). Use your teeth to slide off the tender base of each flower bract and discard the rest. Once you get to the inner, pale, lavendar-tinged heart you can eat around the fibers. I use a sharp knife to cut away all the edible bits and leave the fibers. Large varieties require about 30-45min of steaming. You should be able to insert a sharp knife in the base easily. They are also a very glamorous cold picnic food. The taste, I think, is more pronounced cold.