An artichoke is a vegetable that is actually the bud of a thistle plant. It is harvested before it blossoms and is eaten as a vegetable. The artichoke is a member of the aster family and is native to the Mediterranean region. The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flowers come into bloom. The budding artichoke flower-head is a cluster of many budding small flowers, together with many bracts, on an edible base. The outer leaves of the bud have thorns on the tips, but thornless varieties have been cultivated. The heart of the artichoke is the delightful, meaty core of the vegetable, and it is surrounded by rows of petals that protect it. The fuzzy center, or choke, is not edible in regular artichokes but is edible in baby artichokes. The stem of the artichoke is also edible, and the base of the leaves is edible as well. The flavor of the artichoke falls somewhere between asparagus and celery, and it has a fresh, clean taste.

Artichokes are healthy vegetables that deliver nutrients like fiber, vitamin K, and magnesium, and antioxidants like cynarin and silymarin. They can be cooked in a variety of ways, including boiling, grilling, braising, stuffing and baking, microwaving, or roasting. Steaming the whole artichoke is one of the easiest and most popular cooking methods. When buying artichokes, look for artichokes that are nice and green and a little bit heavy for their size. You want them to feel plump, not hollow, to know they are fresh and not dried out. Look for leaves to be nice and tight on top. A really fresh artichoke will squeak when you squeeze it.