Group · Vegetables
Chinese artichoke (crosne)
The Chinese artichoke, known in France as the crosne, is a small white, ringed tuber shaped like a caterpillar, introduced from Japan in 1882 and grown at Crosne, in the Essonne, hence its French name. It had become rare but is coming back at greengrocers.
In terms of nutrition facts, frozen and raw, it provides 51.8 kcal per 100 g, with 7.38 g of protein, an unusual level for a tuber, 5.51 g of carbohydrate and barely 0.03 g of fat, with 0.0025 g of salt.
Macronutrient breakdown
Nutrition table per 100 g
| Calories | 52 kcal |
| Kilojoules | 220 kJ |
| Protein | 7,4 g |
| Carbohydrate | 5,6 g |
| Fat | 0,1 g |
Tips
7.38 g of protein for a tuber: this is very unusual. No potato comes close. It is the value published by the Ciqual table for this entry; we show it as it is rather than rounding it towards what you would expect.
Its carbohydrates are mostly stachyose. A sugar that the human body does not digest and that ferments in the colon: this is why the Chinese artichoke is said to cause bloating in some people.
Do not peel it: rub it with coarse salt. Its ringed shape makes peeling impossible. Shaken in a tea towel with coarse salt, it cleans in a minute, then rinse well.
Short cooking: five minutes at most. In water or in a frying pan, it should stay crisp. Overcooked, it goes soft and loses all its appeal.
It does not keep. Three to four days in the fridge, in a damp cloth. With no protective skin, it dries out and blackens very quickly.