Maa-artisokka

HISTORIA

Helianthus tuberosus (Sunroot, Jerusalem artichoke, Topinambur) is a perennial, bulbous herbaceous plant from the Asteraceae family. It is native to North America, where its wild populations still occupy vast areas near the Great Lakes. This species came to Europe earlier than potato, at the beginning of the sixteenth century. We owe the discovery of Sunroot to the French traveller Samuel Champlain, the founder of the Quebec City. He noticed that the "Topinambur" Indian tribe was eating tubers that looked like potatoes. He found that they had a delicate, sweetish taste similar to artichokes and carried them to Canada, where they ended up as a delicacy to France. From France, this species emigrated to neighbouring European countries. 

NYKYISYYS

Currently, Sunroot is cultivated alla over the world. The tubers contain little starch, practically no fat or only traces of them,  and are characterized by a relatively low caloric value (73 kcal/100g fresh weight of tubers). 

Sunroot is characterized by valuable pro-health properties, fulfills additional physiological and nutritional functions, improves health, and prevents many chronic, non-communicable diseases. Due to its rich chemical composition as well as sensody and rheological values, Sunroot is an excellent raw material that can fully or partially replace scarce raw materials and allow to expand the range of manufactured products, including functional food, which has a specific pro-health effect.