Tonight I am having Saskia over for Bread and french wine. I am trying out a new kind of bread for us. Tonight the sourdough is spiced up by Jerusalem Artichoke and chili. I can not wait to see how it will taste. To be on the safe side I have also made one with Rosemary. I just can not get tired of that bread :)

Saskia just called me up and asked about the Jerusalem artichoke soup that I made the other day. I think the root is called Topinambur in Germany. Jerusalem artichokes are come from North America. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain brought them to Europe after coming across them at Cape Cod in 1605. He described them as tasting like artichokes, which is probably why they got their name. The Jerusalem part is thought to be derived from girasole, the Italian for sunflower to which they are related (see pic).

I found it quite hard to get them here in Berlin but I normally find it at Karstadt or KaDeWe. Last week they also had it at LPG in Schönhausser Allee.

Apparently the root is very prebiotic, due to that it’s very rich in inulin. It is also rich on iron and vitamine C. Not that I need to be convinced to eat it. It is for sure my favourite winter vegitable. You can get it from end October until February.

I get back to you on the bread!