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Crosne

http://www.recipetips.com/glossary-term/t--35915/crosne.asp
An edible tuber originating from Asia and introduced into Europe in the
late 1800's. This vegetable has a swirled bulb-like shape that is
approximately 3 inches in length and 1/2 to an inch in diameter. The cream
colored skin covers a dense a crunchy flesh that provides a somewhat nutty
flavor. They can be served raw, without peeling, in salads or as an
appetizer with dip. The crosne (pronounced crone) can also be boiled,
braised, fried, puréed, or sautéed, as an ingredient in vegetable
dishes, stir-fried dishes, soups, stews, or simply sautéed with butter.
This tuber should be stored in a refrigerator to keep them from drying out
and losing their flavor, which they quickly do when stored at room
temperature. Crosne is also known as the Chinese artichoke, the Japanese
artichoke, knobroot, and Chorogi.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9A03E3D91130F937A15752C0A96
F958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=print

Some quarry remains elusive. Several months ago, I went cybersearching for
a vegetable called crosnes (pronounced crone, as in a Shakespearean hag) --
a creamy white tuber that looks a bit like a potato but is wrinkled rather
than smooth. It is popular in Europe, where it is often served creamed, and
in Asia, where it is frequently pickled. A friend had spotted a pile of
crosnes in a grocery store in New Zealand, but was not served any.

Preliminary book research turned up its full common name, crosnes du Japon,
although it is also called Chinese artichoke, Japanese artichoke and
knotroot. Its botanical name is Stachys affina, although it is sometimes
also listed under Stachys sieboldii.

It's called a perennial, but that may be because some of the tubers would
naturally escape being harvested. In that sense, it would be like a
Jerusalem artichoke, which isn't an artichoke either, but another tuberous
vegetable that, once planted, is difficult to eradicate.

An Internet search for Stachys affina, by entering that phrase in the usual
search engines like Yahoo and Alta Vista, turned up nothing. A search for
crosnes found dozens of informative pages, including recipes for crosnes
salad with salsify, crosnes with bechamel sauce and many others.
Unfortunately, all of the pages were written in French, which I recognize
when I see it but do not read.

I turned to my reliable, if old-fashioned, shelf of catalogues, and there I
found crosnes, listed as Chinese artichokes, in the estimable catalogue
from Richter's, herb specialists from Canada (Goodwood, Ontario, L0C 1A0;
905 640-6677).