Cichorium is a genus of flowering plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae (order Asterales). It comprises roughly six accepted species, two of which are among the most economically important vegetables in the world, with several additional wild species distributed across Europe, the Mediterranean basin, and into the Middle East and East Africa.
The genus is characterised by its composite flower heads bearing strap-shaped ray florets, typically in a vivid sky-blue or lavender — a colour unusual among the daisy family. Plants are mostly tap-rooted annuals, biennials, or perennials, often with a milky latex and coarsely toothed or lobed basal leaves.
The most widely cultivated member, common chicory (Cichorium intybus), is a bushy perennial native to Europe that has become naturalised across North America and elsewhere. Its bitter leaves are sold under numerous names — radicchio, Belgian endive, witloof, and leaf chicory — while its large, fleshy roots are roasted and ground as a caffeine-free coffee substitute or additive, a practice with a long history in continental Europe. True endive (Cichorium endivia), native to Egypt and the eastern Mediterranean, encompasses both curly endive and the broader-leafed escarole, both staples of Mediterranean salad traditions.
Beyond the kitchen, Cichorium plants serve as larval food plants for several moth species, including the setaceous Hebrew character (Xestia c-nigrum), the turnip moth (Agrotis segetum), and the grass moth Diasemia reticularis.
Etymology
The name Cichorium derives from the Latin cichorea or cichorium, itself borrowed from the ancient Greek κιχώρη (kichorē) or κίχορα (kíchora), terms used by Greek and Roman writers for chicory or endive plants. The genus was formally described by Linnaeus.
Distribution
Species are native primarily to Europe, the Mediterranean region, and into the Middle East and northeast Africa. Cichorium intybus has been widely introduced and naturalised in North America, South America, and Australia. Individual species have native ranges spanning Ethiopia, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Egypt, and Israel.
Cultivation
Cichorium intybus and Cichorium endivia are extensively cultivated worldwide as leaf and root vegetables. Chicory is grown in Belgium and the Netherlands for witloof (Belgian endive), produced by forcing blanched chicons in darkness to reduce bitterness. Roots of C. intybus are roasted and used as a coffee additive or substitute. C. endivia forms (curly endive and escarole) are grown as salad greens across Europe and North America.
Cultural Uses
Chicory root has been used as a coffee substitute and adulterant since at least the 18th century, becoming especially common during wartime coffee shortages in continental Europe and in New Orleans-style café au lait blends. The bitter compounds in chicory leaves (primarily sesquiterpene lactones) have a long history in traditional medicine as digestive tonics. Inulin, a prebiotic fibre extracted from chicory root, is now a major industrial food ingredient.
History
Chicory was cultivated by the ancient Egyptians and is mentioned by Roman writers including Virgil and Pliny. Widespread cultivation for forced blanched heads (witloof) began in Belgium in the 19th century; industrial root cultivation for inulin and chicory coffee developed across continental Europe in the 18th and 19th centuries.
