Cardoon from the Spain, photo of the nature by @papi.mati
Cardoon
The cardoon is called also the artichoke thistle. It is an edible plant with purple flowers, characteristic of the dry regions of southern Europe. Photography was made somewhere in Spain, while I was trekking from the southern coast to Madrid. Small towns had often something botanical garden-like - small squares with few kinds of plants described shortly.
It is possible to eat the flower buds of Cardoon, as well as the leaves. In fact, the tradition of eating that plant is very old and comes to the fourth century BC from ancient Greece, Rome, and Persia. It was popular until the XIXth century when it stopped being mainstream food. It's still in use though, mostly in Spain, Portugal, Greece, and Italy - flowers are added to some special kinds of cheeses and softly bitter leaves are the ingredient of few traditional soups in the region. The plant is also good for making biodiesel and feeding the animals.
Thank you for reading,
@papi.mati