The market · Vegetables · Southern Europe

Radicchio

A bitter red chicory from the Veneto, bred to be forced in the dark over winter.

bitter · crisp
Radicchio

What to do with it

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

Kinds

Chioggia
Round, like a small red cabbage.
Treviso tardivo
Long, curled fingers — the prized late one.

Goes with

balsamic vinegarorangewalnut

Knowing it

Where to buy
Italian greengrocers and good markets in winter.
Worth knowing
Salt, fat and a little sweetness tame the bitterness without hiding it.

More vegetables, in season with it

just inVegetablesBrussels sproutsnutty when browned, sweet, bitterbitterNot cooked here yetat its peakVegetablesButternut squashsweet, nutty2 classicsVegetablesCardoonsartichoke-like, bitter, nuttyNot cooked here yetVegetablesCauliflowermild, nutty when brownedNot cooked here yet