Endive

See also: Chicory (homonymy), Endive (homonymy)

The endive or chicory is a Plante bi-annual, but cultivated like an annual plant, of the family of the Astéracées, cultivated for its “chicories”, bleached growths obtained by Forçage, consumed like believed or cooked Légume S.

She is called chicory in Belgium and sometimes also in the north of the France, and endive elsewhere. The oldest precursor of the current chicory is described by a scientist of the 16th century, Rembert Dodonée, in its famous Cruyde Boeck (botanical repertory), as being a vegetable connected with the endive . It is undoubtedly why it took later this name in part of France and French-speaking world. However, in the west of the France, the chicory term indicates sometimes the Romaine lettuce.

Recently, in certain countries, the Flemish term of “Witloof” was adopted because the Flemish producers are the largest exporters of this product and the word endive then passed in English and Japanese.

Its scientific name is Cichorium intybus L., family of the Astéracées (Made up).

Foot-note: a subspecies with large roots of Cichorium intybus , the Chicory roasting, is cultivated for the production of a Succédané of the Café. Another Chicorey, Cichorium endivia L., the Chicorey endive, is a close species whose certain varieties are cultivated like salad (Scarole, Frisée).

History

In its Dictionary of agriculture of 1751, Chesnaye mentions a special method of culture of the wild chicory (wild chicorey) inspired by the culture of the Champignon in France. In dark cellars, the roots are covered with thirty centi Mètre S of Fumier and, after twenty-five days, of the white sheets appear.

The beard of capuchin, bitterer still than endive, is still cultivated nowadays in the suburbs inhabitant of Lille. Its culture, contrary to endive, remained with 100% traditional.

The legend wants that this vegetable “was invented” towards 1830 in the Vallée Josaphat with Schaerbeek. Sometimes one allots it to a peasant who would have liked to dissimulate his harvest in an obscure cellar, during the disturbed period during which the Belgium conquered its independence. It was in any case the gardener as a chief of the Botanical garden of Brussels, Bresiers, which systematized forcing of it by cultivating the root of chicorey the winter, safe from the light and freezing. White sheets develop then, which justify its Flemish name of witloof (white sheet). This vegetable of winter was a fast success in Belgium under the name of chicory (word derived from cichorium), success which especially contaminated the adjoining countries after the Second world war.

In 1873, Henri de Vilmorin brought it back International exhibition of horticulture of Ghent and to the National company of horticulture of France in 1875 presented it. The first crate was sold with the Halles Paris in 1878 under the name of “endive of Brussels”.

Consumed believed or cooked, out of salad or vegetable, even out of soup, this plant knows a world famous today.

Culture

The production of endives led to large scales proceeds in two times:

the Seed, sown with the Spring, gives a plant to large root and long green Feuille S. These roots are collected with the Automne and are stored during the Hiver.
the root, put to force in layer, ground (traditional method) or generally today as a dark room, provides at the end of three weeks to a temperature from approximately 20 °C, a bud, cream-coloured white with pale yellow, quite tight sheets. The endive of room is not washed after harvest, because it is not in contact with the ground.

Purchase

The endives cultivated in layer or Sable are played of the rises and winter falls of the Thermomètre. One finds them October with May in abundance on our stalls. Choose them quite tight, tapering with healthy and not faded external sheets. They quite white and will be slightly hemmed of cream. If the size of endive does not influence its taste, one can retain that only the classified chicories of categories II and III have the right to submit a light coloring clear green to the upper part. They can have a small bitterness, but their price will be less. One does not meet any more bitter endives of formerly, considerable progresses carried out these last years as regards selection of varieties allowed to eliminate the bitter taste mainly.

Conservation

The chicories are preserved several days at the expenses in the Vegetable compartment of the Réfrigérateur or at the Cave in a plastic bag. The maintenance with the Obscurité is important, because it avoids the appearance of green zones, bitter, under the effect of the Lumière.

Use

In much of receipts, one advises to attenuate the bitterness chicory by one obviously conical at his base and by the addition of sugar. This council makes leap the purists who ensure that it is precisely this bitterness which makes all the interest of endive. As for sugar, it cannot in no case to correct the bitterness or the acidity of mets since its receiving gustatory is specific.

Among the receipts containing chicories one finds the Faisan with the brabançonne and especially popular the Chicons with known gratin in France under the name of Endives with the bechamel sauce.

Practically no weeding and nothing to withdraw: they are quite appreciable qualities of endive. Simply cut it in the direction height and quickly pass each half under a cool water jet. Do not leave the sheets in water, they lose thus mineral and Vitamine S.

This vegetable lends itself to multiple culinary variations, in mixed salads with Mâche, Frisée, green walnuts of Noix, dice of Pomme, Nèfle, Jujube or flesh of lawyer, Olive S, Jambon, cubes of Gruyère, Betterave etc, cooked with the vapor or with choked, to accompany flat by meat or fish, or coated with a section of Jambon, nappées of a light sauce (to milk, with the white wine) and of a little grated Gruyere.

Quotation

The endive is insipid until the exubérance. As an alive herbaceous apology for the insipidity, it is the enemy one of the man whom it maintains with the row of the unspecified one, with mitigated frenzies, dreams extinguished as soon as dreamed and even of the bicycle grips. The man who devotes himself to endive is easily recognizable: its step is average, the fever is not in its eyes, it does not have anger and smiles to the counter of Assedic. It reads Télé 7 days. He likes the banality tenderly. At the beautiful days, he votes, slightly persuaded that is used for something. Pierre Desproges

See too

the gray Fly of the endive ( Ophiomyia pinguis )

External bonds

the chicory, the white gold of Belgium
Hydro-Knack, culture hydroponic of the endive
Culture of open ground endive
the endive, more astonishing than think it to you. Discover of Infos practices, Cuisson, Culture, Recettes on the site of the endive

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