The crisp golden delicacies are a speciality of the Roman-Jewish cuisine and a prominent feature on menus. But Israel's Chief Rabbinate said the method of cooking the artichoke whole made it impossible to clean properly and it didn't therefore adhere to kosher standards.
 
"The heart of the artichoke is full of worms, there's no way you can clean it," said the head of imports of Israel's Rabbinate, Yitzhak Arazi, in an interview with national newspaper Haaretz. "It can't be kosher. It's not our politics, this is Jewish religious law." But Rome's Jewish community has rushed to defend its beloved dish.