Ingredient: Sunchoke
Origin: North America

Sunchoke, also known as Jerusalem artichoke, grows natively in North America and is a species of sunflower. Sunchoke looks like ginger, but is larger and more pink in color with darker spots. The taste of sunchoke is sweet and nutty, and the texture is very similar to a potato. While sunchoke is not the prettiest ingredient in the supermarket, it is incredibly versatile and a great base for other flavors.

Like a potato, sunchoke can be eaten with or without the skin and can be cooked many different ways. Boiling and roasting are both great ways to enjoy sunchoke. Turning the sunchoke into a soup or puree is also enticing. Check out Bon Appetit’s Fried Sunchoke Chips with Rosemary Salt recipe here. Also, check out Food52’s Roasted Sunchoke, Potato and Asparagus Salad recipe here. Next time you feel like experimenting in the kitchen, grab some sunchoke and get to cooking!