Together with red chicory and endive, chicory belongs to the Cichoriaceae family. The special, slightly bitter taste of chicory is common to all the varieties. Chicory gets its nice white-yellowy colour by letting the root of the plant germinate in the dark.Chicory was discovered by accident in Belgium. It appeared at an exhibition in 1873, but did not begin to be sold as a horticultural product until 1913. It was only after 1930 that chicory became more widely known and from 1945 onwards gained in popularity. Chicory is available in the Netherlands all year round.

Chicory is grown under conditions of darkness, which prevents the green leaves from sprouting. The vegetable has an elongated, closed, white head, with a light-yellow leaf edge.

Quality
Chicory heads must be closed, with a light-yellow leaf edge. Quality is monitored by sight.

Storage and perishability
Chicory heads keep fresh for a week under refrigeration.
To prevent discoloration, the heads should, as much
as possible, be kept out of the light.

Cleaning
Only remove the outer leaves and cut off the heel.
Outsize cores should also be removed.

Taste and use
Chicory has a slightly bitter taste. In its raw form it tastes
bitterer than when cooked. Chicory has many applications
and is easy to cook. Place the cleaned vegetable in a pan
of water and cook for between 15 and 20 minutes. The
latest trend is to stir-fry chicory. Stir-frying makes the bitter
taste go slightly sweet, allowing chicory to become a great
favourite with children. In addition to stir-frying, chicory is
also used in salads and in oven or grill dishes.

Recommended storage
Chicory does not tolerate light! Out of the dark, the leaves turn green. This means that chicory has to be kept covered as much as possible.

Chicory will remain fresh in the refrigerator for about a week if kept in a paper bag or a plastic bag with small holes.