Chicorey

Botanical species

The wild Chicorey

Scientific name: Cichorium intybus L.

Common nouns: wild chicorey, bitter chicorey, in: chicory, of: Zichorie, it: cicoria.

It is a herbaceous Plante robust, more or less pubescent, long-lived, of 40 cm 1 m from top, very common in the uncultivated meadows, fields and at the edge of the ways. Originating in Europe, Asia and North Africa. It is naturalized in North America.

Very oarswoman, it presents basal Feuille S deeply cut out (roncinées), lancéolées whole intermediate sheets, embracing the Tige, and of the higher sheets reduced to bractées. The Inflorescence S are flowerheads made of ligulées flowers, blue. They are spread out in sunny weather and approach the night or in covered weather. The Fruit S (Akène S) are surmounted by a crown of hairs (pappus). The root is swivelling. All the parts of the plant are bitter.

It is at the origin of the roasting chicories and the Endive S or chicories.

The Chicorey endive

Scientific name: Cichorium endivia L.

Species close to the preceding one. It is characterized some by its whole, toothed and sinuées basal sheets, and its oval higher sheets and by the fact that it is entirely Glabre. It is spontaneous in North Africa, with the the Middle East, in the the Caucasus and the south of Europe.

It is at the origin of the chicoreys salad S: Endive S and Curly S.

Use

The wild chicorey was at all times collected to be consumed out of salad or like medicinal Plante with stomachic, dépuratives and slightly laxative properties. It is the root which is used in pharmacy. It contains Inuline (glucid of reserve) and Sucre S, as well as intybine, substance bitter. It is also a fodder plant.

The sheets are very rich in provitamin has and contain also complete proteins, vitamins B and C, rock salt, K+ and Ca++.

Cultivated varieties

Bore of capuchin

It is about a salad of winter obtained by the setting in forcing of roots laid out in layers of Fumier, with the darkness, in a cellar for example. This forcing causes the growth of étiolées, long and narrow sheets. The varities selected with this use have long a right root. This culture had developed much around Paris in the middle of the XIXe century.

Principal varieties: wild Chicorey ordinary

Chicory roasting

Cichorium intybus subsp. intybus convar. Sativum .

This culture calls upon varieties selected on the development of the root whose volume is considerably increased and points out that of fodder carrot. It is a bi-annual plant in culture.

Cultivated varieties: they are hybrid F1 (of 1st generation) resulting from two lines:

Chicorey of Magdeburg, with broad, whole sheets;
Chicorey Brunswick with very cut out, curly sheets;

This culture developed initially in the Netherlands at the end of the XVIIe century. The continental Blocus at the beginning of the XIXe century gave him a considerable dash in particular in the North of France, in Belgium and Germany.

Nowadays, the annual world harvest of roots of chicorey accounts for approximately 1 million tons (FAO 2002). The France is the first producer in Europe.

The transformation of the roots passes by several stages: production of the Cossette S, fragments of dehydrated roots, then by the Torrefaction followed Crushing. During torrefaction, the Inuline is converted into Fructose then caramelized. The Intybine combined with the fructose gives the specific savor of the chicorey.

Since the years 1970 the roasting chicory is also used for the production of Inuline, substitute of the sucrose in food industry. The chicorey contains inulin 20%, which can be used as such or converted by hydrolysis into fructose and glucose. Other plants like the dahlia or Jerusalem artichoke use also inulin like carbohydrate of storage.

The Roasting Chicory is used as coffee saver by adding it to the powder with nonsoluble coffee.

Chicorey of Brussels

or chicorey witloof, it gives after forcing a rounded salad called Endive or Chicon in Belgium.

Cichorium intybus subsp. intybus convar. Foliosum

Variety used: Chicorey of Magdeburg.

The culture is done in two times: sowing in May - June to lead to the harvest of roots from 3 to 4 cm in diameter to the autumn. These roots, put out of wet and hot ground, the collet covered well in a light ground, produce into 25 to 45 days the endive which is a large bud of pale color. This culture was initially launched in Belgium about 1850 and extended in north from France at the end of the XIXe century. More and more, forcing is practiced in full field, with the use of heating cables and plastic films of protection.

Chicorey of Catalonia

Normal or curly chicorey. Sheets resemble each other those of the dandelion. Usually sold on the markets in Canada and in Belgium. Very consumed by the Italians.

Curly endive

Cichorium endivia L. VAr. crispum Lam.

Called curly endive or curly endive, there exist about it many varieties with very cut out sheets, laciniées crisp. To obtain a whiter salad and to tend more, one makes étioler of it the heart during a fifteen or so days before harvest by attaching the external sheets. Varieties with tight sheets are étiolent naturally, avoiding this intervention.

Principal varieties: Curly of Meaux, Curly of winter of Provence, Very fine market-gardener, Queen of winter, Walloon.

Italian chicoreys

Always coloured in red (Anthocyane S) at the stage of the cabbaging season, it enter the composition of salads of 4th range. There are four types:

chicorey of Chioggia;
chicorey of Vérone;
chicorey of Trévise or Raddicchio
chicorey Variegato di castelfranco, with mixed sheets.

Improved wild chicorey

The selection made it possible to improve these plants which are less bitter and which have broader sheets, almost whole.

Principal varieties: Wild chicorey sugar loaf, improved double blonde

Chicorey endive

Cichorium endivia L. VAr. latifolium Lam.

The endives or endives with broad, whole and corrugated sheets, are preserved better than the curly ones and the varieties of winter are invaluable like salad or vegetable to be cooked for the bad season

Principal varieties: Batavia improved, Round green in full heart, Fair in full heart, Large buckled, Giant market-gardening, Horn of Anjou, Horn of Bordeaux.

There exist also intermediate varieties, hybrids between endive and curly.

Random links: