History

The seeds of artichokes, probably already cultivated, were found during the Roman period  who called the vegetable carduus (hence the name cardoon) which is mentioned as a garden plant in the 8th century BC by Homer.

The ancient Greeks called artichokes kaktos and ate the leaves and flower heads in the period, in which cultivation improved the plant from the early wild form.

The blossom of the thistle was also improved by the Arabs, and passed from Naples to Florence in 1466.

The Dutch introduced artichokes to England, French and Spanish immigrants took the plant to the United States in the 19th century by .

Today, the cultivation of the globe artichoke is concentrated in the Americas and the countries bordering the Mediterranean basin.

In 2017, the word agricultural output was 1,505,331 tonnes; the leading European producers are Italy (387,803 tonnes annually), Spain, and France.

The top American producers are Argentina, Peru and the United States.  In the United States, California provides nearly 100% of the crop.

More recently, artichokes have been grown in South Africa in a small town called Parys, located along the Vaal River.