Product knowledge
What's the Difference Between Artichoke Hearts and Bottoms?
Artichoke bottoms and artichoke hearts both come from the same part of the plant — the fleshy base of the flower bud, once the tough outer leaves and the inedible, fuzzy choke have been trimmed away — but they aren't identically prepared. A bottom is trimmed down to the flat, leafless disc alone: just the base, nothing else. A heart typically includes that same base plus some of the tender, pale inner leaves still attached, which is usually taken from a smaller or younger artichoke where those inner leaves haven't toughened yet.
In practice, many jarred and canned products describe themselves loosely as 'hearts' or use the two terms together, since the distinction is more precise in a culinary-supply catalogue than it is on a typical retail label.
The anatomy, explained simply
An artichoke is a flower bud, and almost everything edible about it sits at its base once the tough outer bracts (the 'leaves' people pull off and scrape with their teeth) and the inedible choke are removed. The bottom is that base trimmed completely clean — a flat, sturdy disc with no leaf material left at all. A heart keeps a bit more: the base plus the softer, paler inner leaves that haven't developed the fibrous texture of the outer ones, giving it a slightly different shape and a bit more total volume per piece than a bare bottom.
Jarred and canned formats
Commercially, both bottoms and hearts are typically packed in brine or oil, in glass or tins, and product labelling doesn't always draw the anatomical line precisely — 'artichoke hearts' is the more common label term even when what's inside includes some bottom pieces, and vice versa. Our own Artichoke listing from Lio Food describes the product generically as artichoke bottoms and hearts in a 1300 g glass jar, case of 6 — an honest reflection of how the format is actually sold rather than a precise anatomical split.
Best uses for each
Bottoms — flat, sturdy and leafless — work well as a base for stuffing, or as a foundation for a topping or a small appetiser build, since their shape holds a filling cleanly. Hearts, with their slightly softer inner-leaf portion attached, tend to work better quartered into a salad, a pasta, a dip or a mezze spread, where a bit more texture and volume per piece is useful. Neither is strictly 'better' — the right choice depends on whether a dish needs a clean, flat base or a more textured, multi-part piece.
Handling a jar once it's opened
Once a jar is opened, keep the pieces submerged in their own brine or oil and refrigerate promptly — the same basic handling routine used for jarred olives and other preserved vegetables in glass. Draining the pieces dry and leaving them exposed to air speeds up spoilage and dulls the flavour, so it's worth resealing the jar between uses rather than transferring to an open container. Whether the jar held bottoms, hearts or a mix of both, the storage rule doesn't change — it's about keeping the pieces covered in liquid, not about the anatomical cut itself.
Related questions
Does Levant Direct sell artichoke bottoms and hearts as separate products?
Not currently — our single stocked artichoke line is described generically as bottoms and hearts together in one jarred format. A different, more specific format can be raised in your inquiry for us to check on sourcing.
Are artichoke hearts more expensive than bottoms?
Pricing isn't something we publish generally, but hearts are often considered the more delicate cut given the extra tender-leaf portion — ask on your quotation for current specifics.
Can artichoke bottoms be used anywhere a recipe calls for hearts?
Often yes for cooked applications like a stew or a sauté, though for a recipe relying on the softer inner-leaf texture of a heart, a bottom alone will feel firmer and less varied in texture.