Artichoke production in Italy artichoke to Florence. By 1473, it had arrived in Venice. In 1915, 64,000 tons were produced. Italy produces dozens of varieties. Artichoke production in Italy Artichoke production in Italy has a long history. Italy is the world's largest producer of artichokes. With Spain and France, the three countries produce more than 80% of the world's artichokes. There are two theories as to its origin: artichokes may have come from the Levant, derived from the cardoon or thistle through a cross-fertilization process, while others attribute it to the work of Italian horticulturists. The first record of artichoke cultivation in Italy was
Castroville Artichoke Festival Castroville Artichoke Festival Castroville Artichoke Festival is a food festival held annually in Castroville, a town in Monterey County of the U.S. State of California. The city, which calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World", began promoting the artichoke with a festival in 1959, and the festival has grown so large that it has been moved out of the town, into a nearby convention center. Castroville Artichoke Festival 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of this celebration. Artichokes were brought to California by Italian immigrants in the late 19th century, and to Castroville in the 1920s when Andrew Molera planted