The market · Vegetables · Northern and Central Europe

Chicories

Belgian endive, or witloof: tight, pale shoots forced from the root in the dark, crisp and gently bitter.

bitter · crisp · fresh
Chicories

What to do with it

Rosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleChicory would temper its sweetnessKenji Hara's Milk punch, with hojichaChicory would temper its sweetness

Kinds

White
The usual, pale yellow at the tips.
Red
Crossed with radicchio; a little more bitter.

Goes with

orangewalnutblue cheeseham

Knowing it

Where to buy
Called chicory in Britain and endive in France and America. Pale and tight — light turns them green and more bitter, so keep them wrapped.
A little history
The story goes that it was found by accident in Belgium in the mid-19th century, sprouting from roots left in a dark cellar.
Worth knowing
Braise halves in butter with a pinch of sugar and a squeeze of orange.

More vegetables, in season with it

VegetablesAgrettimineral, faintly salty, crunchyNot cooked here yetVegetablesArtichokesnutty, grassy, bitterbitterNot cooked here yetjust inVegetablesBrussels sproutsnutty when browned, sweet, bitterbitterNot cooked here yetat its peakVegetablesButternut squashsweet, nutty2 classics