Also referred to as the artichoke thistle. Some consider it to be just an invasive weed and by others as a culinary delight. Cardoon plants are a member of the thistle family and look very similar to the globe artichoke. Huguenot refugees introduced cooking Cardoon to the Geneva region around 1685. It also became common in the vegetable gardens of colonial America, but fell from fashion in the 19th century and is now very uncommon. The French first grew it as a vegetable and Quakers brought it to America in the 1790’s. In Europe, cardoon is still cultivated in France, Spain, and Italy. The stems of Cardoon are blanched and used like celery, and the younger leaves can be eaten raw or cooked.