The Geneva cardoon: a vegetable with spine

The shape and spines of the Geneva cardoon make it an unusual vegetable, to say the least. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

The Christmas holidays mark the brief moment when Geneva’s spiny-leaved cardoon steps into the spotlight. Beyond its traditional growing area, however, the vegetable remains little known, despite its historical and gastronomic significance.

Is there such a thing as a typical Swiss Christmas dish? A hard question, given the diversity of culinary traditions and the fact that the globalised option of turkey has become standard in Switzerland, too. In Geneva, however, the answer is obvious: cardoon is an intrinsic part of the festive season.

In Protestant refugees’ luggage

Native to the Mediterranean basin, the cardoon was familiar to the Greeks and Romans, who considered it a luxury. The presence of ancient varieties has even been documented in Swiss Neolithic sitesExternal link. Studies have shown that cardoon was being eaten in Geneva in the 16th century.

The origin of the variety under discussion here, the cardon épineux argenté de Plainpalais (silver spiny cardoon of Plainpalais), is more recent. Like the artichoke, it arrived at the end of the 17th century, with Huguenot refugees fleeing persecution after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.

The Geneva cardoon is thought to descend from the Tours cardoon, a particularly spiny variety. “Its production is therefore closely linked to the development of market gardening in Geneva by Protestant refugees from France,” the Swiss Culinary Heritage foundation notesExternal link.

Today, cardoon has become a rare vegetable in Europe, and only canton Geneva – along with a few neighbouring areas of canton Vaud – still produces a spiny variety.

A demanding crop

Spiny cardoon is probably so rare because growing it requires a great deal of effort. The first challenge, of course, is the spines, which complicate harvesting and preparation. Try repotting a cactus and you will quickly understand the problem.

In addition, cultivating this vegetable, a cousin of the artichoke and Jerusalem artichoke, requires a lot of space. Forming large clumps, a single plant can reach two metres in height and spread over a circumference of one metre.

But above all, its cultivation, harvesting and processing require a lot of work and constant care. The blanching process is particularly laborious.

Horticultural blanching consists of depriving certain parts of the plant of light to prevent photosynthesis, making the edible parts more tender and less bitter. This technique is used, for example, for endives, leeks and asparagus.

>>A Swiss public TV RTS report on the Geneva cardoon, December 1, 2025 (French).

For these three vegetables, the operation is relatively simple given their small size: piling up earth to form a small mound with two adjacent furrows is sufficient. With a large vegetable such as spiny cardoon, however, it is another matter. The operation can be carried out directly in the fields, where the plants are wrapped in black plastic to shield them from sunlight.

There is also another method, more traditional and picturesque. The cardoon plants are dug up with their root balls and replanted in the earthen floor of a cellar. Arranged in tight rows, they then spend three weeks in the cellar, away from the light.

Protected status

Finally, cardoons must be prepared for sale, which again requires a great deal of work. The green, spiny leaves are removed. Only the ribs (also known as cardes) are kept – the fleshy part of the leaves, which resemble thick stalks.

It is the tender, light-coloured parts of the leaves that are eaten. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

Geneva spiny cardoons are sold fresh in winter at local markets, or preserved in jars, available all year round. After being meticulously cleaned, peeled and cooked, the stalks are most often prepared as a gratin.

“Alongside pear rissoles, cardoon gratin is the indispensable traditional Christmas dish. Most of the production is consumed on this occasion and in the two to three weeks before and after the holiday,” the Swiss Culinary Heritage foundation says.

Unusual in its origins, rare in its cultivation and demanding in its preparation, the spiny Geneva cardoon has become a true symbol of local identity. This strong link between a product and a region was recognised in 2003, when the spiny Geneva cardoon made Swiss culinary history by becoming the first Swiss vegetable to receive Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status.

Cardoon has become an ambassador for Geneva’s agriculture. Here we see Carlo Lamprecht (left), vice-president of the Geneva government, presenting this speciality to Swiss minister Hans-Rudolf Merz on the opening day of the 63rd Olma in St Gallen (2005), at which canton Geneva was guest of honour. Keystone / Regina Kuehne

“The cardoon deserves to be offered to the finest palates beyond the borders of the canton,” the Geneva Market Gardeners’ Union saysExternal link. However, this is unlikely to happen. Annual production amounts to only a few dozen tonnes, making it a rare and highly localised vegetable.

To enjoy it, it is therefore best to plan a stay at end of Lake Geneva. Or to plant a spiny cardoon in your own vegetable garden. But be careful not to prick yourself!

Edited by Samuel Jaberg/translated from French by Catherine Hickley/ds