Getting to the root </MCC HEAD>

Story last updated at 8:17 PM on Wednesday, February 21, 2007

Getting to the root

By Serge Lecomte

Did you know that in the 16th century only men were allowed to eat the artichoke?

Women were deprived that pleasure because it was thought to be an aphrodisiac.

The English word for artichoke comes from the Italian “articiocco” and “articolos” (pine cone). The word originally comes from the Arabic “al qarshuf” when the Moors began cultivating the artichoke in Spain.

It was Catherine de Medici, the wife of French King Henry II, who made the artichoke famous throughout Europe in the 16th century.

It was French immigrants who brought the artichoke to Louisiana in 1806. The Spaniards brought this vegetable to Monterey, Calif., sometime in the 1800s.

Off Knob Hill Road, Lisa Climo raises artichokes, starting them from seed for 12 weeks. Then into the ground till end of August. Each plant yields six artichokes.

Dr. Serge Lecomte graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in linguistics. He taught Russian and Spanish at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. He has lived in the Homer area since 1999 and writes plays and novels for fun.

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