Chicory

Common chicory is native across a broad sweep of Europe, North Africa, and western Asia. Its wild form is a hardy perennial with deep roots, blue flowers, and distinctly bitter leaves. Because that native range is extensive, chicory does not belong to a single modern country or culinary tradition.

People around the Mediterranean and elsewhere in Europe gathered and cultivated chicory for its leaves and roots in antiquity. Over time, growers selected plants for different purposes. Some became tender or colorful salad greens; others developed thick roots that could be dried, roasted, and ground as a beverage ingredient or coffee substitute.

One of chicory’s most recognizable forms, Belgian endive, is not a separate wild species. It is produced by growing specially selected root chicory, harvesting the roots, and forcing them in darkness so they send up compact, pale heads with restrained bitterness. This forcing method was refined in Belgium during the nineteenth century and later spread to neighboring European countries and beyond.

Today chicory remains especially important in Belgium, France, the Netherlands, and Italy, while root chicory is also grown commercially in India and parts of the United States. California contributes to the American market for chicories and specialty greens, while Nebraska has become notable for root chicory. Its many modern forms reflect cultivation and culinary invention, not multiple independent wild origins.