The wild artichokes "cynara - cardonculus" are by far the most important preserve in extra virgin olive oil of the “Barbieri” production. An increasingly rare vegetable to find, it grows spontaneously in the Sila biodiversity park, it is rare due to the difficulty in processing it entails, as the fruit of the wild artichoke is covered in thorns, which must be removed manually by expert hands.
 
The process involves the harvesting of these very thorny fruits at the end of April. In particular, the smaller fruits are selected from shrubs approximately two meters high. When the "dirty" product arrives at the company, it is distributed to the women who patiently clean the artichoke. The smaller fruits are calibrated, those destined for processing in extra virgin olive oil are selected, they are blanched in wine vinegar, taking care to obtain correct cooking and the seasoning is carried out with traditional ingredients.
 
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Ingredients:
Fresh wild artichokes, extra virgin olive oil, white wine vinegar, salt, fresh mint, garlic, black peppercorns, chilli flakes.
 
Agrichef Barbieri recommends:
Wild artichokes are consumed exclusively as an appetizer, a fine and unique appetizer.