Artichoke cultivation covers a surface area of about 600 hectares and is almost all within the municipality of Menfi. This is one of the most suitable areas in Italy for growing artichokes.The speciality of the area is a rather small, purple, thorny artichoke that grows from November to April. Fragrant and tasty, it is wonderful raw but can also be preserved. The edible product has bracts that encase the flower part, which, after removing the hard and tough outer bracts, can be eaten both raw and cooked or preserved in oil.

The artichoke is also used to make liquors. When preparing any dish with artichokes, it is advisable to cut off the heads and remove all of the hardest outer leaves. The heads should then be soaked in salted water with a few lemon slices to destroy the effect of phenols that cause them to turn brown quickly as soon as the bracts are removed. There are many ways to serve them: artichokes preserved in oil or vinegar, artichokes with garlic, fried artichokes, battered artichokes, “a frittedda”, “a viddanedda”, roast artichokes, pan-baked, in a “caponata”, artichoke stew, stuffed artichokes, “ammuttunati” or “abbutunati”, “alla gibillinese”, sweet and sour (aghiru e duci), as a starter, with pasta and fresh ricotta, Judean artichokes.