Switzerland: About Cardoons, Geneva’s Favorite Winter Vegetable

Published by Monday, December 19, 2011 Permalink 0

by Jonell Galloway

Anyone living in Geneva really should know how to prepare cardoons, since it is Geneva’s favorite winter vegetable, and even has a right to an AOC, i.e. an official certified appellation, the “Geneva cardoon.” The problem is it is time-consuming and tedious, namely due to its prickly thistles.

Cardoons are one of Geneva’s favorite Christmas dishes, when it is most often served au gratin, but they are served in a variety of ways all winter long.

Viviane Bauquet Farre gives a wonderful explanation on how to prepare and blanch those tasty but thistly dears.

The Chapuis family, who does the Boulevard Hélvétique market in Geneva on Wednesday and Saturday, started preparing them and sealing them in vacuum packs a couple of years ago, and it has been so successful that everyone is following suit.

So if you’re brave enough, prepare them yourself. Otherwise, know you have an alternative. More and more sellers are copying the Chapuis and removing the thorns for you.

Originally published on GenevaLunch.

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