They look a little alien, with their squat shape, protruding eyes and rough ridges – hiding places for dirt. To some, they resemble ginger root. To me, they seem somewhat stubborn and strangely reminiscent of Jabba the Hutt: coarse, wrinkled, wide in places. I like to think of sunchokes as happy little Jabbas, though – not the massive, vile “Star Wars” gangster. They’re cute in a way that’s beigy, bumpy and obstinate yet weirdly pleasing, almost as if they’re challenging home cooks to make something of them. Sunchokes are also known as Jerusalem artichokes, even though they don’t look like artichokes and have nothing to do with Jerusalem. Raw, they’re similar in texture to jicama or parsnips...
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