Skip to main content
Jerusalem artichoke

Jerusalem artichoke

1 7.7
A plant with knobby edible roots eaten as a vegetable
  • noun
  • /ˌdʒəruːˈsɛləm ˈɑːrtɪˌtʃoʊk/
  • US
translation icon : alcachofa de Jerusalén
  • Add the potato, Jerusalem artichokes, stock, marjoram, and salt and pepper, and bring the liquid to a boil.
  • the only Jerusalem artichokes

Examples

  • Like we got asparagus, Jerusalem artichoke, onions and garlic, that small, small potatoes.

  • I adore Jerusalem artichokes.

    Blog text (9)
  • The Jerusalem artichokes are different from regular artichokes; it's all about the root.

    Blog text (24)
  • Under the chicken, I cut in halves small potatoes (which I didn't par-boil; your note came later) and some Jerusalem artichokes (inspired by Ottolenghi).

    Blog text (9)
  • You can do everything with Jerusalem artichokes that you do with potatoes, or serve them raw.

  • Parsnips and Jerusalem artichokes are the only vegetables that I confidently leave in the ground all winter long.

Synonyms

sunchoke
vsJerusalem artichoke
  • US
1 9.5

A crunchy pale root vegetable from a sunflower, eaten raw or cooked

refers to the whole plant grown for its tubers rather than only the tuber
Helianthus tuberosus
vsJerusalem artichoke
  • Specialized
9.9

A tall plant like a sunflower that people grow for edible tubers

is the common food name rather than the scientific species name
Jerusalem artichoke sunflower
vsJerusalem artichoke
  • US
8.8

A tall plant with knobby edible tubers grown for food

is the usual vegetable name used when talking about its edible tubers
girasol
vsJerusalem artichoke
  • UK
9.9

A tall plant with edible knobby roots that people eat like potatoes, also called Jerusalem artichoke

is the common English name used in cooking and markets

Surface Forms

Morphology

Jerusalem + artichoke

Although built from familiar words, 'Jerusalem artichoke' is a historical name (likely via corruption of Italian 'girasole') and refers to a North American sunflower tuber that is neither from Jerusalem nor a true artichoke. A B1 learner who knows 'Jerusalem' and 'artichoke' would therefore be misled and unable to predict the item’s actual botanical/culinary meaning from its constituents.

Etymology

The name Jerusalem artichoke comes from a language mix-up: English speakers heard the Italian word girasole, meaning 'sunflower', as Jerusalem, and people thought the plant's knobby root tasted a little like an artichoke. So the odd name stayed, and today it still refers to a sunflower grown for its edible roots.