The Albenga Violet Artichoke
The Albenga Violet Artichoke
The Violet Artichoke is cultivated in the Piana di Albenga and along the Savona and Imperia coasts.
Insights
The Violet Artichoke derives from the wild cardoon, an herbaceous plant found in the Mediterranean basin and consumed since ancient times.
Features
The Albenga artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) is a non-reflowering variety featuring spiny purple bracts. Its elongated, conical flower head showcases a green hue accented with purple highlights. The spiny bracts, combined with its early production, make this artichoke distinctive. Beyond its vibrant colour, the Albenga artichoke is particularly known for the texture of its inner leaves, which are exceptionally tender, crunchy, and sweet, making them perfect for enjoying raw, especially when dipped in high-quality Ligurian extra virgin olive oil. Another unique characteristic of this product is that, unlike artichokes from other regions, it is sold with a long stem and at least two complete leaves.
How it's made
Planting takes place in the autumn-winter. It starts with cardoons that are planted in the summer in well-prepared soil, in furrows 10-15 cm deep. Weeding alternates with irrigation until autumn, and light hilling is also performed. In Liguria, the harvest occurs in the first year between February and March, and only in the second year will it be harvested in early December. In the second year, the artichoke patch is cultivated in July-August; therefore, the soil is tilled, and the plants are uprooted by removing the dry stems and leaves, followed by rather abundant irrigation to restore the patch's growth. Then, the cardoons are thinned, keeping a maximum of 1 or 2 cardoons. The planting pattern is 0.8 m x 1.50 m, with a quincunx arrangement.
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