Opened like a rose, whole fried, super delicious: with its golden, crispy leaves, the artichoke is the symbolic dish of Judeo-Roman cuisine that has become famous worldwide.
In Rome, the news spread that a rabbi from Jerusalem declared the artichoke to be impure, and therefore not in accordance with kosher food laws. It is said that the reason for the impurity is related to the worms and parasites that hide among its leaves, which are impossible to remove and clean except by cutting the heart into several parts and washing it leaf by leaf (as should be done, for example, with a salad). But in the artichoke recipe, this cannot be done because the vegetable must be left whole: hence the prohibition for orthodox Jews to eat it.
Apparently, Roman Jews are unwilling to give up this dish. From the capital, they explain that Rabbi Yitzhak Arazi was referring to the Israeli variety of artichoke, characterized by lots of fuzz where several worms can nest. This is not the case for the Roman artichoke, whose leaves are so narrow that they prevent any nesting. And, in any case, regarding cleaning, there's no danger because the artichoke is soaked in water and lemon and then fried twice in boiling oil.
