Artichoke Production by Country 2024

Artichokes may not be as popular as say, the carrot or corn, but they do have their fans who love their sweet-yet-tart taste and smooth texture. Artichoke hearts can enhance salads or other dishes, and it can also be a fun social ritual to dip and eat artichoke leaves in butter. They’re also an especially nutritious vegetable, delivering potassium and vitamin C.

The plant is considered to be one of the oldest vegetables, and has been mentioned in the Bible as well as Greek myths. An artichoke recipe was also found in an Ancient Roman book about food, considered the world’s first cookbook.

There are only two primary types of artichokes, the Globe, known for its round, large shape, and the Violetta, which is longer and thinner. The Globe is also sometimes called the Italian and the Violetta the French because of where they are said to originate and still grow. Within both families are more than 50 varieties apiece that include different sizes and types of leaves.

Today, Italy has the biggest share of the world’s artichoke production market, harvesting about 366,000 metric tons a year in 2022 and 378,820 metric tons in 2023. Worldwide artichoke production is 1.59 million metric tons.

Egypt comes next with 269,899 metric tons and Spain produces 199,940 metric tons. These three countries represent about half of the world’s market.

Italy also is the largest consumer, enjoying about 394,000 metric tons in 2018 and exporting 4,800 metric tons.

The United States, which only produces 45,722 metric tons, is still considered one of the only countries in the world that is able to grow them all year long. About 99 percent of them all come from the same region of the state of California. This is really due to climate which is optimal for this type of crop.

Californians are proud of their role in the global artichoke market. The city of Castroville, Calif., proudly has declared itself to be the Artichoke Capital of the World. The claim might not be true in a global sense, but the community is in the heart of this agricultural region, and has been growing them for more than a century. The town of 5,000 also mostly focuses on growing this plant. Plus, there’s another draw for artichoke fans that you won’t find anywhere else: the world’s largest artichoke, a 20-foot tall, 12-foot-wide sculpture worth pulling off the road for.