Spiny Artichoke from Menfi
Product included in the national list of traditional agri-food products (PAT)
PAT type : Vegetable products in their natural or processed state
Production Area : Territory of the following municipalities: Menfi, and part of Castelvetrano, Sambuca di Sicilia and Sciacca.
Technical data sheet of the traditional agri-food product (PAT)
Delimitation of the geographical area: Territory of the following municipalities: Menfi, and part of Castelvetrano, Sambuca di Sicilia and Sciacca.
Historical notes and local ties: The term artichoke is of Arabic origin, "harsufa." In classical antiquity, the Greeks spread artichoke cultivation to the West, and among other things, they named a delightful little island in the Sparadi Islands "Kinara."
Product description and indication of its salient characteristics: The flower head has an oval-oblong shape and is made up of a basal part, the fleshy receptacle, on which are inserted, in addition to the hermaphroditic flowers and the numerous white bristles (pappus), the available spiny bracts, imbricated one on top of the other, of which the innermost ones are very tender and fleshy, while the outer ones are firm and fibrous.
The receptacle and internal bracts constitute the edible portion of the artichoke, commonly called the "heart." The artichoke's therapeutic qualities have been known since 1585. In fact, the Roman physician Castore Durante, in his Herbario Nuovo, listed its exceptional properties: "It stimulates the flow of bile, purges the kidneys, facilitates initial digestion, eliminates any unpleasant odors from the skin, heals certain skin conditions, and finally, stimulates Venereum..."
Modern science has explained the reason for all these therapeutic qualities: the leaves and stem of the artichoke contain "cynarin", a substance that even has an effective action on liver and kidney lesions because it promotes bile secretion, diuresis, and facilitates the elimination of cholesterol.
Source Pat Cards: Sicily Region
Card insertion: Ignazio Caloggero
Informational contributions : Web, Sicily Region
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