Blog Post

World's Largest Artichoke Sculpture: world record set in Castroville, California

Aug 07, 2022

Castroville,California, United States--A sculpture commissioned for a roadside stand and restaurant owned by Ray Bei, a tribute to a local crop and specialty, the artichoke, was built from concrete and rebar; this giant creation stands 20 feet tall and 12 feet across, setting the world record for the World's Largest Artichoke Sculpture, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

Photo above: Giant Artichoke Restaurant, with the Artichoke Room. Photo: Dana Payne

"The 20-foot-tall artichoke makes the detour worthwhile. But the farmer's market and deep-fried artichokes make the Giant Artichoke restaurant a nice place to stop and rest on a road trip," the Roadside America reports.

"Great stop for fresh fruit and vegetables, and really good coffee bar with lounge-y area."

"I had an amazing, all-artichoke dinner there, too.

Photo above: Seeing “the world’s largest artichoke” = happy. Photo: LOVVS on Facebook

"The "Artichoke Capital of the World" celebrates harvests of the crop with an Artichoke Festival in May, the seecalifornia.com reports.

"Where Marilyn Monroe got her start: In 1947 young Norma Jean was crowned Castroville's first artichoke queen. She became known as the famous actress, Marilyn Monroe after this momentous crowning. John Steinbeck used Castroville as the setting for his short story, Johnnie Bear.

"Castroville soil and climate create the perfect combination of sun and fog for artichokes and the nation's only artichoke processing plant shown in the distance in the photo is located in Castroville."

"Around 75% of the California's total acreage of artichoke crops lies within Monterey County, and California, itself, raises 100% of all artichokes grown in the U.S."

The globe artichoke, also known by the names French artichoke and green artichoke in the U.S., is a variety of a species of thistle cultivated as a food. The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flowers come into bloom.

The edible portion of the plant consists of the flower buds before the flowers come into bloom. The budding artichoke flower-head is a cluster of many budding small flowers (an inflorescence), together with many bracts, on an edible base. Once the buds bloom, the structure changes to a coarse, barely edible form. Another variety of the same species is the cardoon, a perennial plant native to the Mediterranean region. Both wild forms and cultivated varieties (cultivars) exist. (wikipedia)

"Tourists pull over to take pictures with it before wandering inside for what is rumored to be pretty decent food,"the Atlas Obscura reports," the Atlas Obscura reports.

"Passersby would be forgiven for thinking this were a mere marketing ploy on behalf of the establishment in whose parking lot the huge artichoke stands, were it not for the fact that its tumescence goes part-and-parcel with Castroville’s rank as “Artichoke Center of the World.”

"The Giant Artichoke stands near the intersection of 156 and 183, pretty close to where 156 becomes route 1, the weirdca.com reports.

"The Castroville Artichoke Festival happens in May and has been going on for over 55 years. California produces nearly 100% of the artichokes in the United States, and 80% is grown in Monterey County. As a result, Castroville declared itself the "Artichoke Center of the World".

"There is a mural directly around the corner from the Giant Artichoke. The mural, shown above left, is described thus "This mural celebrates the history of the artichoke industry circa 1940's-1950's in Castroville. Depicted in the mural is the refrigerated technique used to transport artichokes by train. Blocks of ice were manually loaded into ice sheds, crushed in a chipping machine, and sprayed into train boxcars to preserve fresh artichokes for shipping. The background scenery depicts Castroville's early history of the grazing and dairy industry as shown by the Royal Creamery and the lush rolling fields of the Castroville region," the weirdca.com reports.

Castroville Artichoke Festival is a food festival held annually in Castroville, a town in Monterey County of the U.S. State of California.

The city, which calls itself the "Artichoke Center of the World", began promoting the artichoke with a festival in 1960, and the festival has grown so large that it has been moved out of the town, into a nearby convention center. Castroville Artichoke Festival 2009 marked the 50th anniversary of this celebration. (wikipedia)

Testimonials from Trip Advisor

"Every time we visit this part of California, we stop at the Giant Artichoke. We are always pleased by most of our choices. My favorites are fried, steamed, spinach dip, burger (tho a bit small) and pasta (tho it could have used more artichokes).

"Haven’t been here in years, but had a craving for deep fried artichokes. They were delicious! The restaurant itself is very old and dated and has a gloomy vibe, but the servers were very nice and the food was good."

"Should have named it the Artichoke Heart of the World instead. I think it was a missed opportunity on the naming."

"At first, you see the Giant Artichoke - but then you realize there is more than that here in Castroville, the artichoke capital. The market is super cute - with all of the stands/displays made in the shape/likeness of various produce. Inside you will be able to get deep-fried artichokes. for a small price, you get a lot of artichokes. This is a great place to stop and get a photo of a roadside attraction."