Lie of the Day #322
September 25th, 2007 by FweebIt’s a common misconception that the name of the artichoke comes from the ancient Mayan tradition of “choke tossing” wherein a tribal male would partially inhale a seed and attempt to cough it up as a projectile. This served as a rite of passage for youth and as a trial event for prisoners of war. The distance of the cough would determine the tribal rank of the former and the remaining years of life for the latter. 34% of the time, the “choke artist” would die.
Of course, this is not the origin of the fruit’s name. The artichoke is actually named after a Korean videographer named Arthur C. Holke, who discovered it while chasing a finch into the woods.