Since the artichoke, carciofo in Italian, is the cornerstone of Roman Jewish cuisine, it seemed an appropriate accompaniment to this issue’s “Jewish Rome: Europe’s Oldest Community” (see pages 52-53).
According to Greek myth, the artichoke owes its existence to the philandering Zeus. During a visit to his brother Poseidon, Zeus spotted a gorgeous young girl, Cynara, bathing on a beach. He fell in love with her at first sight, seduced her, proclaimed her a goddess, and took her back with him to Mount Olympus. Cynara, however, was lonely there; she missed her mother very badly and soon kept sneaking back home.
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