Nutrition Raw cardoon is 94% water, 4%
carbohydrates, 1%
protein, and has negligible
fat. A 100-gram reference amount provides of
food energy and moderate amounts (10–19% of the
Daily Value) of
folate,
magnesium,
manganese, and
sodium.
Culinary While the flower buds can be eaten much as small (and spiny)
artichokes, more often the stems are eaten after being
braised in cooking liquid. Cardoon stems are part of
Lyonnaise cuisine (e.g.
gratin de cardons). Only the innermost, white stalks are considered edible, and cardoons are therefore usually prepared for sale by protecting the leaf stalks from the sunlight for several weeks. This was traditionally done by burying the plant underground, thus, cardoon plantations in Spain are often formed by characteristic earth mounds surrounding each plant, the earth covering the stalks. In modern cultivation, the plant is usually instead wrapped in black plastic film or other opaque material. The flower buds of wild cardoons are still widely collected and used in southern
Italy and
Sicily. In
Spain and
Portugal, the flower buds are also employed in
cheesemaking: the
pistils of the cardoon flower are used as a vegetable
rennet in the making of some cheeses such as the
Torta del Casar and the
Torta de la Serena cheeses in Spain, or the
Queijo de Nisa and
Serra da Estrela cheeses in Portugal. Cardoons were also said to have been used by the Romani or "gypsies" and this would make sense as their encampments would often be situated near sources of water. The vegetable was free for the picking, and could account for the widespread use of the plant. That part is speculative. Cardoon leaf stalks, which look like giant celery stalks, can be served steamed or braised, and have an artichoke-like flavor with a hint of bitterness. They are harvested in winter and spring, being best just before the plant flowers. The cardoon stalks are considered a delicacy in
Spain, particularly in the northerns regions of
Navarre and
Aragon, where they are grown in large quantities. In Spain, cardoons are typically cooked by first boiling the stalks to soften them, and then adding simple sauces such as
almond sauce or small amounts of
jamón; they are sometimes combined with
clams,
artichokes, or
beans as well. Because of their seasonality (from November to February), cardoons are a staple of the
Christmas dinner in Navarre and the surrounding regions; for the same reason, cardoons are often sold as vegetable preserves, usually in water or
brine, so that they can be eaten all year round. In the US, it is rarely found in conventional grocery stores but is available in supermarkets that cater to largely Italian and European neighborhoods in the mid Atlantic states, as well as some
farmers' markets in the months of May, June, and July. As suggested above, they become available in the late autumn near Thanksgiving and Christmas. The main root can also be boiled and served cold. The stems are also traditionally served battered and fried at
St. Joseph's altars in New Orleans. Cardoons can also be found in their "wild" state, on the banks of streams and rivers, and even drainage ditches on the sides of roads in rural areas. These plants look little like the cultivated variety found in stores. They have many thin stems with broad leaves at their ends. There is a reddish color on the stems, which grow tough, hollow and inedible as they age. The wild ones are picked in the spring and early summer. To use them, the leafy part should be removed, and the stems cleaned of "stringy" fibers. Cardoon is one of the herbs used to flavour
Amaro liqueur, which may be called
Cardamaro. ==Other uses==