Taart Van Bodemen Van Artisjocken

This delightful 'Taart van Bodemen van Artisjocken' is a testament to early 18th-century Dutch cuisine, where pies were both everyday fare and festive dishes. Artichokes, then considered a rather fashionable ingredient, display the cook's sophistication and access to imported goods or well-stocked gardens. Published in Leiden in 1725, 'Het Hollands of Neederlands kook-boek' captures the transitional culinary spirit of the Dutch Republic, blending medieval tastes for spiced, vegetable-laden pies with new-world access to a broader array of ingredients. The use of artichoke and vinegar signals the international flair and tendency for balanced, subtle flavors in Dutch kitchens of the time.

In the 18th century, this dish would have been made with a heavy, earthenware or metal pie dish, a wooden rolling pin, and a simple kitchen knife. The pies would be baked in a wood-fired hearth oven or portable bake-oven. For chopping herbs and onions, cooks used sturdy knives and sometimes a curved herb chopper (mezzaluna). Butter would be hand-churned, and fresh artichokes peeled and trimmed by hand.