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Two varieties of the artichoke are grown in the province of Venice: the “Violetto di Chioggia” and the “Violetto di Sant’Erasmo”. In Venice lagoon, in particular, in Sant’Erasmo, Vignole, Lio Piccolo, Malamocco, and Mazzorbo, artichokes of great quality have been produced for centuries; the result of the hard work and stubbornness of local farmers who, despite the global market trends, has succeeded in preserving ancient flavours.

Sant’Erasmo is actually an island in the lagoon, half an hour by boat from the Fondamenta Nuove. On the well-drained clayey soils rich in salt, very tasty vegetables grow, especially artichokes, so much so that the variety grown in the lagoon has got its name from this very island.
They’re soft, fleshy, thorny and elongated, while the Sant’Erasmo artichoke has dark purple bracts.
In the past, farmers used garbage for fertilization, along shells and crab shells to adjust the acidity of the soil. To protect the young plants from the bora wind, small mounds of soil were piled along the side of the fields facing the sea.

The first artichokes are harvested towards the beginning of April. These vegetables, literally adored by the true connoisseurs, are known as “castraure”: the apical fruit of the artichoke plant that is cut in order to develop another 18-20 side artichokes (known as “botoli”) just as tender and tasty.
“Castraure” are famous for their tenderness and their unique and particular slightly bitter taste.
They are mainly eaten raw and are available only 1-15 days a year.
There are many artichoke recipes, as they can be enjoyed battered and fried, raw with olive oil, or with “garbo”, that is, low-heat cooked in a covered pan with garlic or onion sautée, with the final addition of vinegar or lemon. And again, they’re delicious when prepared according to the Greek-style recipe, when cut into wedges, browned and served cold with lemon, or even mixed with lagoon shrimps (known as “schie”), anchovies and sardines. In the local taverns, they are served among the most popular snacks (“cicheti”), boiled and seasoned with garlic, parsley, pepper, and oil.

This post is also available in: Italiano (Italian)