No, it’s not really a hoax — nothing on the scale of Piltdown Man, anyway — but the Jerusalem artichoke is neither from Jerusalem nor an artichoke.
There are competing theories as to how this knobby tuber got its moniker. The theory that makes the most sense to me goes something like this: In 1605, Samuel de Champlain first saw Native Americans harvesting a sweet, crunchy tuber near what is now Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Native Americans called them sun roots, but Champlain thought they tasted like artichokes and called them artichauts de Canada. The plants were, however, clearly a member of the sunflower family and so were also called girasole (Italian for sunflower, literally, "turning to the sun"). By the vagaries of history, girasole turned into "Jerusalem" and artichauts stuck. A lot of confusion could have been avoided if Champlain had simply called the new vegetable the same thing the Native Americans did. But the story comes happily full circle, because now the vegetable is often called sunchoke and sometimes even the original sun root.
All of which leads me to agree with the British food writer Jane Grigson: "Jerusalem artichokes...are none the worse for not being artichokes and having nothing at all to do with Jerusalem." And given that there is quite enough controversy surrounding that city, this article will from now on refer to the tuber as sunchoke. Under any name, they’re crisp, like water chestnuts, and have a sweet, nutty flavor with overtones of artichoke and salsify. They are also low in calories and high in potassium and iron.
The Inside Story: Inulin
But the big nutrition story about sunchokes these days is that they contain very high levels of inulin. Not to be confused with insulin, the protein hormone that controls glucose absorption, inulin is a carbohydrate that breaks down to fructose. Fructose is not used to treat diabetes directly, but it is considered a better sugar for most diabetics because it must be converted to glucose before being absorbed by cells.
To Peel or Not to Peel...
I’ve heard some people say they avoid Jerusalem artichokes because they’re so annoying to peel. I just scrub them (by hand or with a vegetable brush) and prepare them. The skin is tender now, and if it gets tougher next month, simply slip it off after the artichoke is cooked. If you do peel sunchokes, plunge them immediately into cold water and add a little vinegar or lemon juice or lime juice to prevent the flesh from darkening.
Sunchokes can be eaten raw (crunchy and crisp — wonderful in salads, as crudités, or as a garnish) or cooked in many ways from boiling to sautéing to baking. In fact, sunchokes may be substituted in many of your favorite potato recipes. Baked, boiled, mashed or fried, they add a sweet, nutty accent to any meal.
One Caveat
Some people find inulin rather indigestible and have complained of flatulence after eating sunchokes. One such person was John Goodyer, who revised Gerard’s Herbal in 1621, and wrote: "Jerusalem artichokes...are dressed divers wayes, some boile them in water...others bake them in pies...others some other way as they are led by their skill in Cookerie. But in my judgment, which way soever they be drest and eaten they stir up and cause a filthie loathesome stinking winde within the body, thereby causing the belly to be much pained and tormented, and are a meat more fit for swine than men."
To which I say, Mr. Goodyer, eat more of them! And like the old bean rhyme says, the more you eat the better you’ll feel. As soon as your body gets used to the inulin, you’ll be downing these gems like candy. But you may want to beware the filthy, loathsome, stinking wind (an exaggeration) and go slowly at first.
Raw Sunchokes in Mustard Dressing
If you can get freshly dug sunchokes from a local farmer’s market, then raw is the way to go. Take a taste of one before you begin. If it is not to your liking, then use one of the later recipes, which are more forgiving.
1 egg yolk
2 teaspoons minced onion
1 teaspoon Dijon or coarse-grained mustard
1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
Pinch of crushed hot Thai pepper (optional)
1/4 teaspoons salt
5 Tablespoons canola oil
1 pound sunchokes, scrubbed
1. In a small bowl, combine egg yolk, onion, mustard, vinegar, hot pepper, and salt. Blend with a whisk.
2. Gradually incorporate oil, whisking vigorously. Set aside.
3. Scrub or peel the sunchokes and cut into evenly-sized large pieces. Then slice them thinly (a food processor works well.) In a bowl, combine the sunchokes with the dressing and chill for about an hour. Serve on a bed of salad greens or stir-fried greens.
Sautéed Sunchokes
1 pound sunchokes
Salt to taste
3 Tablespoons olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon finely chopped parsley
1. Scrub or peel the sunchokes as you bring two quarts of water to a boil. Add salt and then the sunchokes. Allow the water to return to a rolling boil and then take out the sunchokes. When they are cool enough to handle, slice thinly.
2. Put the olive oil and garlic in a skillet and cook until the garlic just begins to color. Add the sunchokes, coating them with oil. Add the salt, pepper, and parsley and stir to coat well. Cook until the sunchokes feel very tender. Serve.
Sunchoke Purée with Onions and Hazelnuts
This is also very good as a simple purée of sunchokes and potatoes. Whether you go plain or fancy, feel free to vary the proportions of potato and sunchoke according to your taste.
1 pound sunchokes
1 medium potato (about 1/2 pound)
4 Tablespoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion or 2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
2 Tablespoons milk or cream
1/2 teaspoon Thai hot or cayenne pepper (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1. While the water is coming to a boil, peel the sunchokes and potato and slice them into approximately quarter-inch slices. When the water is boiling, add the vegetables and cook until tender, about fifteen minutes.
2. Meanwhile, melt two tablespoons of the butter in a frying pan and sauté the onions until soft and golden, about seven minutes.
3. Place cooked vegetables, hazelnuts, milk, pepper, and the remaining two tablespoons of butter into a food processor and pulse until it reaches the desired consistency.
4. Season with salt and pepper. You may serve immediately or put in a glass or clay dish and bake in a 350 degree oven for fifteen to twenty minutes.
Roasted Sunchokes
Add carrots, potatoes, and other root vegetables to this recipe if you like, for a wonderful fall meal of roasted roots.
1 pound sunchokes, sliced into half-inch rounds or left whole
2 Tablespoons oil (nut oils are especially good)
Rosemary or thyme sprigs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the sunchokes with the oil. Bake in a shallow gratin dish with the herbs for thirty to forty-five minutes or until done. (Pierce them with the tip of a knife. They should be mostly tender but offer some resistance. Don’t let them get mushy.) Sprinkle with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
Terra Brockman is the director of The Land Connection Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving farmland and promoting small-scale, diversified, organic agriculture in Illinois. Visit www.thelandconnection.org or call 309-965-2407 to learn how to get involved.