Jerusalem artichoke (A Species of Sunflower)

Jerusalem artichoke

The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus), also called sunroot, sunchoke, earth apple or topinambour, is a species of sunflower native to eastern North America, and found from eastern Canada and Maine west to North Dakota, and south to northern Florida and Texas. It is also cultivated widely across the temperate zone for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable. 

 Kingdom:     Plantae
(unranked):     Angiosperms
(unranked):     Eudicots
(unranked):     Asterids
Order:     Asterales
Family:     Asteraceae
Tribe:     Heliantheae
Genus:     Helianthus
Species:     H. tuberosus

It is a herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1.5–3 metres (4 ft 10 in–9 ft 10 in) tall with opposite leaves on the lower part of the stem. The leaves have a rough, hairy texture and the larger leaves on the lower stem are broad ovoid-acute and can be up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long, and the higher leaves smaller and narrower.

The flowers are yellow and produced in capitate flowerheads, which are 5–10 centimetres (2.0–3.9 in) in diameter, with 10–20 ray florets.

The tubers are elongated and uneven, typically 7.5–10 centimetres (3.0–3.9 in) long and 3–5 centimetres (1.2–2.0 in) thick, and vaguely resembling ginger root, with a crisp texture when raw. They vary in color from pale brown to white, red or purple.

The artichoke contains about 10% protein, no oil, and a surprising lack of starch. However, it is rich in the carbohydrate inulin (76%), which is a polymer of the monosaccharide fructose. Tubers that are stored for any length of time will digest its inulin into its component fructose. Jerusalem artichokes have an underlying sweet taste because of the fructose, which is about one and a half times sweeter than sucrose.

Jerusalem artichokes have also been promoted as a healthy choice for diabetics. The reason for this being the case is because fructose is better tolerated by people that are diabetic. It has also been reported as a folk remedy for diabetes. Temperature variances have been shown to affect the amount of inulin the Jerusalem artichoke can produce. When not in tropical regions, it has been shown to make less inulin than when it is in a warmer region. 

 

Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz)
Energy     304 kJ (73 kcal)
Carbohydrates     17.44 g
- Sugars     9.6 g
- Dietary fiber     1.6 g
Fat     0.01 g
Protein     2 g
Thiamine (vit. B1)     0.2 mg (17%)
Riboflavin (vit. B2)     0.06 mg (5%)
Niacin (vit. B3)     1.3 mg (9%)
Pantothenic acid (B5)     0.397 mg (8%)
Vitamin B6     0.077 mg (6%)
Folate (vit. B9)     13 μg (3%)
Vitamin C     4 mg (5%)
Calcium     14 mg (1%)
Iron     3.4 mg (26%)
Magnesium     17 mg (5%)
Phosphorus     78 mg (11%)
Potassium     429 mg (9%)