A sunchoke is an underground vegetable like a cross between a rutabaga, potato, sunflower seed, and water chestnut. Also called a Jerusalem artichoke, it is not like an artichoke bloom, nor does it grow in Jerusalem. It's one of the few native tubers of North America. A sunchoke, related to the sunflower, makes a delicious addition to salad, salsa, marinade, and soup.

Native Americans enjoyed digging up and eating sunchokes for centuries before the colonialists settled. Myths about the dangers of this starchy tuber kept Europeans for cultivating them until the threat was proved superstitious and they embraced the tasty vegetable. The sunchoke got its new name when a French explorer sent some plants back to his friend in Italy to cultivate in the Mediterranean climate. Thinking they tasted like artichokes, the Italian named the tuber "girasole articicco," meaning, "sunflower artichoke." Americans corrupted the pronunciation, which they thought sounded more like "Jerusalem," but the name stuck.

The actual plant, Helianthus tuberosus, looks like a miniature sunflower related to asters, with bright yellow flowers. They're so easy to grow throughout North America that many gardeners consider them invasive weeds, like black-eyed Susan's. During spring, before the plant has blossomed, you harvest the sunchokes by digging up the white, bulbous root growths. The plant stores inulin (not insulin) as starch for extra energy during winter months in its tubers. What makes the sunchoke useful, for diabetics in particular, is that the inulin it contains breaks down into fructose instead of glucose during digestion. For diabetics, this makes the sunchoke a good substitute for other starchy foods such as potatoes. If you're choosing a sunchoke at the grocer's, find ones that are moist and smooth, not dry or wrinkled. Treat them like you would ginger root. They'll keep, refrigerated, for about a week.

Many recipes that don't specifically call for a sunchoke would benefit from their crisp texture and nutty flavor. When you would have considered using jicama, water chestnuts, or almonds, try substituting the tuber. Their taste falls somewhere between an artichoke heart and a sunflower seed. Fresh, chop them into salads, dips, salsa, chutney, or light marinades. Cooked, mix them in with soups, grilled poultry or fish, or sauces. Pieces of sunchoke can even be deep fried for a picnic treat.