Skillet Spinach Artichoke Dip

Squeeze spinach very dry - excess moisture makes watery dip. Fresh artichokes can be used but canned are traditional. Serve in the skillet for rustic appeal.

The story of spinach artichoke dip is the story of two Mediterranean vegetables finding their way into the American kitchen, then into every casual dining restaurant in the country. Spinach, native to Persia and carried to Europe by Arab traders, arrived in North America in the 19th century. The artichoke, a thistle cultivated across the Mediterranean since antiquity, reached American shores in the early 1800s when French and Spanish settlers grew it in Louisiana. The pairing of both vegetables with cream cheese and Parmesan appears in American cookbooks and home entertaining guides from the 1960s and 1970s, an era defined by baked, shareable party food. The dip crossed from home kitchens to restaurant menus in the 1980s, driven by the rapid expansion of casual dining chains that were building their businesses around generous, crowd-pleasing starters served with chips and bread. By the 1990s it had achieved near-universal presence on American menus — TGI Fridays, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Cheesecake Factory, Chili's and dozens of others each developed their own closely-guarded versions. The cast-iron skillet presentation, which keeps the dip bubbling hot from oven to table and doubles as a serving vessel, has become one of the most recognisable sights in American restaurant dining. Made from scratch with properly wilted spinach and real cheese, the skillet version leaves packet mixes in another era entirely.