Sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem Artichokes, are a tasty vegetable that pack a punch. They can be very gassy. I knew that from previous experience, so I researched them before adding them to my roasted vegetables last night.
Sunchokes contain inulin – a type of carbohydrate that is a derivative of fructose. We don’t have the digestive enzymes for this, and foods that we can’t digest cause gas. There is nothing unhealthy about the gas – but in the case of sunchokes it can be pretty extreme and very uncomfortable.
The source I mention below says that sunchokes are “three times as farty as any bean”.
Sunchokes can be eaten raw, pickled, roasted or stewed and have a nutty flavor. I figured that cooking them would help reduce the gas problem, and that using a small amount would help. AND we took a probiotic (a pill with friendly bacteria like acidophilis) – which I find very helpful with digesting beans.
Well, it didn’t help. The one sunchoke that I added to our roasted winter vegetables still made for a miserable night.
Looking a little further, I found an interesting posting that offers a way to process the vegetable. Referencing the Curious Cook by Harold McGee, this writer says that if you slice the tubers and boil them for 15 minutes with cream of tarter or lemon juice, or bake them in a 200 degree F oven for 24 hours, it will convert the indigestible carbohydrate into fructose.
Storage also helps because over time the starches naturally convert to fructose. While there is a way, I’m not sure that I want these that much. What have you done that’s worked!
Note: it seems like some people are more affected by these vegetables than others. Also, inulin is often added to foods as a source of fiber (indigestible carbohydrate) or to support friendly bacteria. These are small amounts that we can generally tolerate just fine. With the sunchoke it is a matter of volume!
Find more nutrition information and my monthly newsletter on my website: http://healthyhabitscoach.com .
Eat well!
[…] inulin is so difficult to digest (sunchokes pack more farty-fart power than your average bean) cooks should slice and boil them for 15 minutes with cream of tarter or lemon juice or bake in an oven at 200 […]
I unwittingly ate a whole pound of these yesterday, for lunch. Peeled, parboiled, then sauteed with onions. Took a beano pill first, which did absolutely nothing. Result was hours and hours of painful intestinal gas and bloating (12+). Never again.
I suspect that some of us are more susceptible. If you can tolerate all that inulin, they really are good for you. But they don’t work for me either! Kathy
oh brother…..i am a middle school teacher…..just ate a whole choke for the first time…..raw….then read this…..hope the air has cleared before school tomorrow
I knew t was my sliced suchoke snack. Man it was horrible
They are so tempting, so easy, and so not good on the hind end. I’m willing to play around and try small quantities. If humans can figure out how to eat grass seed, surely I can put the cork on these roots! Lemon juice boil, 12-24hours slow cook at 200 degrees, harvest after a good, hard frost. I might try all 3 methods at once and see how it goes. Anyone else have luck?