Food - Drink
This Country Produces The Most Artichokes Worldwide
By RYAN CASHMAN
According to Atlas Big, worldwide artichoke production totals 1,594,385 metric tons per year, and while Spain and Egypt are two major global producers, another country trumps both of these nations. Italy is known for its pasta, pizza, wine, pesto, and cheese, but the one vegetable Italians prize above all others is, indeed, the artichoke.
Italy is the top global producer of artichokes, putting out about 378,820 metric tons per year; Italians are also the biggest consumers of this veggie, exporting about 4,800 tons in 2018 — a pretty puny number compared to their total output. Despite the artichoke's prominence in Italy, the plant is native to the Mediterranean and North Africa.
Artichokes arrived in Rome during Medieval times, and today, Italy produces unique varieties such as the yellow-red Carciofi Spinoso Sardo from Sardinia and the Apulian violet from Puglia. There's also the carciofo romanesco, a small and tender artichoke that has been legally protected since 2002, and can only be grown in a certain area.