What's in a Name

If you ask some people where their food comes from, they might tell you the grocery store. They might have no idea what a potato plant looks like and might be completely surprised by the large green leafy thing growing over their tubers. They would never believe you if you told them the four foot tall billowing fern-like plants they see in the fall were once the asparagus they prized in spring.
I like to think I know all about the food I eat. However, my confidence was recently shaken. I just learned that growing over those gnarly, misshapen, but deliciously versatile Jerusalem artichokes that I relish in the spring are 6 foot tall stalks with bright yellow flowers (that are rumored to smell like milk chocolate, I must find out if it’s true) and they’re relatives of the sunflower. I don’t like being in the dark about my food. I needed to know more.
To start with, I had to know about the name. Why in the world was a New World plant named for an ancient Old World city? And why was it named for another vegetable that it wasn’t related to?
It turns out at least the Jerusalem part of the name derives from a failed game of Telephone. When explorers first brought Jerusalem artichokes to Italy, the Italians called them girasole, which is Italian for sunflower. Over time girasole was misunderstood to be Jerusalem (I guess I can see how that could happen) leading to the first half of the confusing name we have today.
The artichoke part of the name comes from the fact that when cooked, Jerusalem artichokes do taste a bit like artichoke hearts (and it turns out they are very distantly related).
Jersusalem artichokes (or sunchokes, as they are sometimes called to avoid all the above mentioned confusion) were cultivated by Native Americans for so long before Europeans arrived that scientists haven’t been able to figure out where they originated. What we do know is they were brought to Europe around 1600 and became a staple food there. The French, in particular, love them.
And what’s not to love? These ugly little tubers are good and good for you. You can just slice them up and throw them on a salad for some extra crunch or you can get really creative. Sunchokes can be boiled, baked, fried, or roasted (I even found a recipe for Jerusalem artichoke chiffon pie in Stalking the Wild Aparagus by Euell Gibbons. I plan on trying it soon; it’s too intriguing to pass up.) They are low in calories and high in potassium, iron, fiber, and vitamin C.
Jerusalem artichokes remind me a lot of potatoes in terms of versatility in the kitchen. There is one key difference that you should be aware of when you are creating new dishes with them. Potatoes store energy as starch and that gives sticking power and body to foods made with them. Jerusalem artichokes store energy as inulin. Inulin is a polymer of fructose sugars that’s not digestible by our bodies. It’s actually digested by good bacteria in the gut and helps promote those good bacteria while keeping out the bad guys (it may also promote gas if you are not used to eating it; start off with small servings to avoid embarrassment). The lack of starch makes it difficult to substitute Jerusalem artichokes straight across for potatoes. Mash them and you’ll end up with a soupier mixture than you would expect. Fry them and they won’t be as crisp. But what they lack in starch, they make up for in flavor. I’ll take a gratin of Jerusalem artichokes over potatoes any day and since I developed a recipe for sunchoke pancakes (see accompanying recipe), I might never use potatoes again. They are way more tasty.
They are also easy to grow (maybe too easy). Like sunflowers they will self-seed but they will also grow new plants from the tubers. That means if you leave any tubers in the ground after harvest, you’ll have a fresh batch popping up soon. Amy Spencer (of Vern’s Veggies) warned me that they can take over if you’re not careful. They are planted in spring and harvested early the next year making them one of the first fresh veggies to look forward to. If you don’t want to grown them, you can pick some up at the farmer’s market. I know Vern has some.

Jerusalem Artichoke Pancakes
Serves 4 as a side dish

1 lb Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed
½ large yellow onion
1 t. salt
2 T whole wheat flour
1 T corn starch
2 eggs, slightly beaten
Salt and pepper to taste
2 T canola oil
2 T butter

Coarsely grate the Jerusalem artichokes and onions. I use a food processor which make a quick and tear-free job of it. Place grated mixture in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Toss and let stand for about 20 minutes. Squeeze as much liquid from the vegetables as possible and place in a large bowl. Add the flour and corn starch. Toss well. Add the eggs and salt and pepper. Mix well and let stand for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile heat 1 T oil and 1 T butter in a large frying pan to medium high. Place 4-5 ¼ cup blobs of the artichoke mixture in the pan and flatten into pancakes with the back of a spoon. These will not hold together the way potatoes do so be gentle. Turn carefully when brown on one side. Cook until brown on both sides. Place in a warm oven and cook the second batch with the remaining oil and butter. Serve immediately.