Cardboard

2024 Author: Jasmine Walkman | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 08:29

Cardboard / Cynara cardunculus / is a perennial prickly plant belonging to the family Asteraceae. Cardboard is also known as Spanish artichoke, cardone, cardoni, carduni and cardi and is most often used as a seasoning or eaten as a leafy vegetable.

The cardboard stem is upright and up to one meter high. In some varieties and more. The plant has bipinnate leaves up to 50 cm long. They are truncated, with spines at the ends of the lobes and broad, fleshy main veins. The violet flowers of the cardboard are collected in inflorescences - baskets. Spanish artichoke seeds are large, gray, with reticulate threads, with a hard shell. A thousand cardboard seeds weigh about thirty grams, and their germination is maintained for seven years.

The cardboard has adapted to the dry climate. It is found in the wild in Morocco, Portugal, Libya, Greece, Croatia, Cyprus, the Canary Islands, Madeira. It also grows in France, Argentina, Australia and California and others.

History of cardboard

The earliest records of cardboard date back to the fourth century BC. The plant was first described by the Greek writer Theophrastus. Although he is not entirely convinced of the exact appearance of the unknown plant, he boldly calls it a cactus. Cardboard was first used in Greek, Roman and Persian cuisine. It remained a popular spice even in the Middle Ages. Gradually, the plant began to be cultivated in France, Spain and Italy.

Types of cardboard

The cardboard was cultivated centuries ago in the central and western part of the Mediterranean. Many varieties of it have been created since then. The most famous of the edible varieties of cardboard, however, are Turkish and Ivory. They differ from wild cardboard because they have taller stems than it (up to 2 meters) and are consumed as leafy vegetables.

They also have larger edible buds. These two varieties have fewer thorns and their leaves are thicker. The new hybrids are created so that there is more harvest, but at the same time it can be easily harvested without the thorns of the plant endangering the people who cultivate them.

Composition of cardboard

In the leaves of cardboard contains carotenes, sugars, mineral salts, vitamin C and others. Cardboard is also a source of thiamine (vitamin B1), niacin (vitamin B3), pantothenic acid (vitamin B5), vitamin B6, folic acid (vitamin B9), magnesium, iron, manganese, zinc, phosphorus and others.

Growing cardboard

If you want to grow cardboard, you must comply with several requirements of this prickly plant. Cardboard prefers well-treated, warm and rich in nutrients and moist soils. If you try to grow cardboard on poor and dry soil, the production you will receive will not be very high quality. In general, cardboard is not endangered by dangerous pests and diseases.

Suitable time for sowing cardboard is spring. It is sown in rows that are 80 centimeters apart. In April or March you can put two seeds in a row (at a distance of 40 cm), leaving only one plant. It is good to sow the cardboard in the sunniest possible place, but even in partial shade it will grow normally. Water the cardboard evenly and always allow the plant to dry between waterings.

An important part of growing cardboard is blanching or so-called wrapping, which is done to whiten the leaves and make them more fragile for consumption. This procedure is performed in September or October. The plants are wrapped in bundles, the tops of which are tied in bundles and then covered with straw or soil. Thus, the cardboard should stand for about two weeks.

Then its leaves are cut and packed. Store in a cool place. Plants that remain in the ground are covered with soil to protect themselves from the winter cold. In the following year they form flowering stems, flowers, seeds. You can grow a cardboard for up to four years, as long as you provide the necessary conditions.

Benefits of cardboard

The cardboard it is often grown even just for its interesting appearance. Recently, this exotic thistle has become popular due to the fact that it is increasingly used in the production of biodiesel. The oil extracted from the seeds of cardboard is reminiscent of that of sunflower and saffron. In Sardinia, cardboard is used as a raw material in biorefineries, which produce a basis for bioplastics.

Consumption of cardboard has a good effect on our health. It is rich in nutrients and vitamins needed by our body to develop properly. Eaten as a leafy vegetable, cardboard quickly satisfies hunger, and at the same time is not at all caloric. Cardboard has the ability to normalize blood pressure and acts as an antioxidant. It also helps in the formation of blood cells. In addition, cardboard lowers cholesterol levels.

Cardboard in cooking

Although the flower seeds of cardboard also to be edible, the stems of the plant are mostly used in cooking. But wild cardboard seeds continue to be collected and used in the local cuisine of southern Italy and Sicily.

The cardboard handles are long and look like a celery handle. They are harvested in late winter or spring. To prepare the plant for culinary use, you must first remove all leaves and thorns. You can peel the stems with a potato peeler. Then cut them into pieces one centimeter long and place them in cold water with lemon juice to avoid browning.

You can then put them in boiling water for twenty minutes until they become even more brittle. Then you have to take out the blanched cardboard and put it on a towel to drain the water. Processed in this way, the cardboard can be stored in the refrigerator for future use or immediately included in dishes. The root of some varieties of cardboard is also used as a food product, although less frequently. It is boiled and then served cold in salads.

The cardboard traditionally put in soups, salads, stews and more. The stems of the plant are fleshy and have a pleasant aroma. In some regions of Italy, cardboard soup is traditionally prepared for Christmas lunch. It is made with small meatballs, adding chicken broth. In some French cities, special recipes are also prepared with cardboard.

Cardboard is an indispensable ingredient in Spanish dishes Cocido madrileño, which is prepared with vegetables and meat. Cardboard is even used in the production of some cheeses in Portugal, which have a slight citrus flavor. We must not forget that the plant also serves as a spice. For this purpose, the main veins of the leaves and the main root of the cardboard are used. They are used to flavor different types of meat.