Vegetable
Helianthus tuberosus
S tier
Helianthus tuberosus is the Jerusalem artichoke or sunchoke—a sunflower relative storing inulin-rich knobby tubers with nutty, artichoke-like flavour when cooked. No relation to globe artichokes or Jerusalem; the name is a linguistic tangle. Inulin can cause gas; introduce gradually. Tubers sweeten after frost. Roast, purée, raw slice, or soup. Species covers all culinary sunchokes. Scrub rather than peel when skin is thin; knobs trap soil.
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History
Indigenous North Americans cultivated H. tuberosus tubers long before European contact.
French explorers carried sunchokes to Europe where they spread widely.
Jerusalem artichokes were a peasant starch across parts of Europe.
Chefs revived sunchokes for nutty purées and roasted sides.