Chicory: Why add it to your plate

15th Mar 2024

The crisp tangy leaves of chicory come in a diversity of shapes and colours – from vibrant radicchio to pale Belgian chicory. We love pairing their strong flavour with contrasting ingredients like milder salad leaves, fruits or a bit of salty cheese.

Key points

• Source of
• Health benefits of chicory
• Endive vs chicory – What’s the difference?
• Traditional uses
• 5 ways to enjoy chicory
• Around the world

Source of

Chicory leaves give you:

• Fibre for overall, digestive health and a healthy gut microbiome.
• Polyphenols, especially gallic acid and flavonoids like quercetin. At least 59 flavonoids have been identified from different parts of the plant!
• Vitamins A, C and B9 (folate)
• Potassium, calcium and phosphorus

Health benefits of chicory

Eating more leafy greens, like chicory, has been linked to:

• Living longer – Lower all-cause mortality.
• Heart health – Lower risk of cardiovascular disease.
• Brain health – A small study found leafy greens may slow down age-related cognitive decline.

Mix up your greens: Chicory is another leafy vegetable to add to your meals – mix it up with all the leafy greens you can find like spinach, kale, collards and mustard greens.

Be the first to get more great content like this

Join 100k others who are already enjoying our short, weekly emails on nutrition and food as medicine

Join

Endive vs chicory – What’s the difference?

They’re often mixed up and no wonder with so many names across Europe. Both belong to the daisy family, but here’s the difference:

• Chicory is a perennial plant with varieties like red radicchio, green Sugar Loaf, and pale yellow Belgian chicory, also called Belgian endive.
• Endive is an annual leafy green, including escarole and curly frisée.

In cooking they’re all treated as bitter greens, perfect for adding flavour and crunch to your meals.

Traditional uses

Bitter herbs like chicory have been used in herbal medicine for centuries. They’re valued for supporting digestion, easing constipation and improving liver function. Chicory has also been traditionally used to help with rheumatic complaints. Historically, the ancient Egyptians grew chicory as a medicinal plant, and its therapeutic benefits have stood the test of time.

5 ways to enjoy chicory

1. Raw in a salad – It adds a nice bitter kick. Mix it with milder greens like spinach, throw in some nuts, cheese or fruit and drizzle on a sweet dressing.
2. Sautéed or grilled – Cook it up with olive oil, garlic and a salty ingredient like capers or anchovies.
3. In soups, stews or pasta – Toss it in for extra flavour and texture.
4. As a snack – Use the sturdy leaves of Belgian endive as veggie scoops for hummus, blue cheese dip or whatever you love.
5. In sandwiches or wraps – Adds a bit of crunch and a hint of bitterness to lift your favourite fillings.

Around the world

• In northern Europe, chicory is traditionally wrapped in ham, smothered in a creamy béchamel sauce, sprinkled with cheese and baked until golden and bubbly, like Dutch Witlof met Ham en Kaas.
• In France and Belgium, you can find it in an Endive Salad with Roquefort, combined with blue cheese, toasted walnuts and a vinaigrette.
• In Italy, it’s mixed with beans, garlic and olive oil in Cicoria e fagioli.