In reference to an earlier question re: scallops?!

In reference to an earlier question re: scallops?

someone mentioned a Jerusalem artichoke and i was wondering what makes a sunchoke diffferent from a regular artichoke? harold deiterle used them in the Napa challenge on top chef, first season, and they praised his choice. so what's the difference?

4 hours ago
uhhh..p.s. answerers...looks like i have a fan out there...i didn't thumbs down your questions (if that sort of thing bothers you). in fact, i found them both helpful....sigh...i just love the clowns on yahoo.

Here are the definitions of them....Sunchoke and Jerusalem artichoke or the same.....
Sunchoke
A relative of the sunflower, this vegetable is native to America, not Jerusalem, and has no botanical relation to artichokes. The white flesh is nutty, sweet and crunchy like chestnuts when raw. Baked in their skins, they become more like potatoes with a mild taste of artichoke hearts.

The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus L.), also called the sunroot or sunchoke or topinambur, is a flowering plant native to North America grown throughout the temperate world for its tuber, which is used as a root vegetable.

Despite its name, the Jerusalem artichoke has no relation to Jerusalem, and little to do with artichokes. The name Jerusalem is due to folk etymology; when the Jerusalem artichoke was first discovered by Europeans it was called Girasole, the Italian word for sunflower. The Jerusalem artichoke is a type of sunflower, in the same genus as the garden sunflower Helianthus annuus. Over time the name Girasole transformed into Jerusalem, and to avoid confusion people have recently started to refer to it as sunchoke or sunroot, which is closer to the original Native American name for the plant.

Globe artichoke
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Globe Artichoke


Globe Artichoke buds ready for cooking
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta

Class: Magnoliopsida

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae

Genus: Cynara

Species: C. scolymus


Binomial name
Cynara scolymus
L.
The Globe Artichoke (Cynara scolymus) is a perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean. It grows to 1.5-2 m tall, with arching, deeply lobed, silvery glaucous-green leaves 50–80 cm long. The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 8–15 cm diameter with numerous triangular scales; the individual florets are purple. The edible portion of the buds consists primarily of the fleshy lower portions of the involucral bracts and the base, known as the "heart"; the mass of inedible immature florets in the center of the bud are called the "choke."