Artichokes and green onions ready for the grill (photo by Kenn Stearns)

My sister and I were raised on artichokes. Mom served them steamed accompanied by fresh Hollandaise sauce (an emulsion of butter and egg yolks), or drawn butter with lemon when she was running short of time. In the ’70s, friends in Utah where I went to college liked their artichokes with mayonnaise. I can eat artichokes for breakfast (Eggs Sardou at Brennan’s of Houston), lunch (artichoke and oyster soup), appetizers (grilled artichokes at Houston’s or fresh artichoke bottoms at Backstreet Cafe), and a simple summer dinner (fresh steamed corn on the cob and artichokes).

No one really knows much about the origin of artichokes. Some say they’re from North Africa. They’re said to have been cultivated in Sicily during the Greek occupation. Today, California is responsible for all the artichokes grown in the U.S. In Northern California’s Monterey County, Castroville holds an annual Artichoke Festival that revolves around the perennial thistle served fried, steamed, sautéed, grilled, stuffed, marinated, pickled, fresh, creamed in soup, and in ice cream. Artichokes crave cool coastal climates, require frequent irrigation, and are a good source of fiber, vitamin C, magnesium, and potassium.

When buying artichokes at the market, it’s common to be asked by others how they’re cooked or what they are – I’ve even had the grocery store checkout clerk ask for help in identifying them. I thought artichokes weren’t on menus much because they’re relatively obscure and unknown. After all, it’s a globe-shaped thistle covered in leathery green leaves topped with thorns that can hurt. All these years buying, eating, and enjoying artichokes and only last week did I learn that restaurants and their sommeliers don’t like them because they don’t go with wine.

Artichokes And Wine Don’t Mix?

Turns out sommeliers are frustrated by artichokes because the taste is persistent, lingers in the mouth, affects taste buds, and can enhance sweetness in wine. Many sommeliers put artichokes in the oenologically incompatible category with egg dishes, smoked foods, and strong curries. If we must consume wine with artichokes (insert disgusted eye roll here), try something very dry that’s on the acidic side: dry rose wines, dry Chardonnays, some Italian whites, and ulta brut or brut non-vintage champagne.

I’ve been breaking the rules for decades. To me, nothing’s better with grilled artichokes than a nice cool Chardonnay. I’ve also even been known to enjoy them with a strong red wine. Sadly, the next time I visit a restaurant I’ll know why not to bother looking an artichoke dish on the menu. But maybe I’ll see if they have some Cynar (a bittersweet Italian liqueur made from herbs and plants, predominantly - you guessed it –  artichoke).