Jerusalem Artichoke

This wonderfully weird-looking root vegetable isn’t truly an artichoke but a variety of sunflower with a lumpy, brown-skinned tuber that often resembles root ginger.
Despite its name, the Jerusalem artichoke has nothing to do with Jerusalem but comes from the Italian word for sunflower, Girasole.

Jerusalem artichokes also known as sunchokes, have white flesh which is nutty, sweet and crunchy and is a great source of iron. Sunchokes have other amazing health benefits such as being a high source of protein and potassium – a handful of this amazing veg contains a quarter of your daily iron intake.

So how do you prepare and cook this interesting root vegetable?

The artichoke flesh will discolour if exposed to air, so place the peeled vegetable in a bowl of acidulated water (cold water with a squeeze of lemon juice or a dash of white wine vinegar) until ready to cook.

Jerusalem artichokes are a great low-calorie alternative to potatoes and can be treated very much in the same way as potatoes. They are excellent roasted, sautéed, dipped in batter and fried, or puréed into a delicious soup.

Check out our three Jerusalem Artichoke recipes below, or for more recipe inspiration, head over to our Pinterest board.

Truffled Jerusalem Artichoke Soup

Time: 1 hour

Serves 4

Suitable for Vegetarians

Velvety smooth and supremely comforting, this winter soup makes the most of this underrated root.

Nutritional Information

Recipe inspiration: BBC Good Food. find the recipe here

Warm Artichoke, Orange & Feta Salad

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 50 mins

Serves 4 – 6

This warm winter salad has it all: colour, flavour and texture. Oranges, sharp feta and nutty Jerusalem artichokes combine to create a beautiful side or seasonal meze.

Recipe source: BBC Good Food, find the recipe here