Chicory

Generality

The generic term chicory identifies a group of herbaceous plants belonging to the Asteraceae family and to the Genus Cichorium .

In common language, the species that is usually associated with the term "chicory" is Cichorium intybus L., better known as catalonia or common chicory; however, this is certainly not the only species of the genus Cichorium exploited in human nutrition (for example, we think of C. endivia, among which we recall the var. latifolium or scarola and the var. crispum or belgian endive). Moreover, of the Cichorium intybus one can distinguish numerous varieties and subspecies (spontaneous or selected), also very different from each other from the morphological point of view (the leaves differ significantly in shape, size and color); among these we mention the groups of leaf chicory and root chicory.

Notes on cultivation

Chicory prefers wild, deep, fresh and well-worked soils; the seed bed for the chicory with green leaves must be prepared in spring, while the one for the radicchio between late May and July. The transplanting of seedlings born and developed in the nursery is very effective, provided they are stored at a distance of 20-25cm from each other. Irrigation of the chicory should be done without wetting the leaves. The harvest should be performed when the size is reached based on the variety.

Chicory variety

Leaf chicory

• Chicory with green leaves: varieties for fresh consumption characterized by broad leaves more or less wrapped; in this group we remember the Casalese sugarcane chicory, the wild field chicory, the cut Spadona chicory, the Zuccherina chicory of Trieste and the chicory cutting chicory.
• Chicory with colored leaves: winter varieties universally known as "red radicchio"; they are mainly used fresh in salads. Among them are the red radicchio of Chioggia, the red radicchio of Treviso (early and late), the red radicchio of Verona, the variegated radicchio of Castelfranco and the red radicchio of Lusia.
• Leaves and stem chicory: variety to be cooked or catalogne; there are varieties with smooth and narrow leaves (Pugliese or Brindisina chicory), jagged leaves (Abruzzese chicory), broad and whole leaves (Chioggia chicory) and compact clumps with white and crunchy sprouts (Galatina chicory).

Root chicory (or thick roots)

• we remember the root of Chiavari or Genovese, the Chicory from Radice (used to prepare coffee substitutes), the Chicory of Soncino (Scorzamare), the Chicory of Magdeburg and the Chicory Witloof (obtained by forcing the endive or Belgian endive, it also takes the name of Brussels chicory).

By virtue of the wide heterogeneity that distinguishes the genus of chicory, ONLY those that (in popular language) are associated with this name will be described: field chicory (specifically described in the article Ciconia catalonia - asparagus chicory ) and chicory .

Nutritional characteristics

Chicories are therefore herbaceous plants with a more or less bitter taste which, from the gastronomic point of view, can be eaten raw or cooked. They all have an excellent vitamin, mineral, antioxidant, dietary fiber and water content. The chicory to be consumed mainly raw provide a greater supply of live and active vitamins, while those cooked (more digestible and requiring higher portions) have a more intense effect on the modulation of absorption and intestinal peristalsis.

Herbal applications and phytotherapeutic properties of chicory are listed in this article.

Nutritional composition of chicory - Reference values ​​of the INRAN Food Composition Tables

Comparison of cut chicory and field chicory (raw and boiled)
Chemical composition and energy value of foods per 100g of edible portion		Cutting chicory, cultivated	Field chicory, raw	Field chicory, boiled
Edible part		89.0%	80.0%	100.0%
water		95, 0g	93, 4g	93, 4g
Protein		1.2g	1.2g	1.4G
Lipids TOT		0.1g	0.2g	0.2g
	B.C. saturated fats	- g	- g	- g
	B.C. monounsaturated fats	- g	- g	- g
	B.C. polyunsaturated fats	- g	- g	- g
	Cholesterol	0, 0mg	0, 0mg	0, 0mg
TOT Carbohydrates		1, 7g	0.7g	0.7g
	Starch / Glycogen	0.0g	0.0g	0.0g
	Soluble sugars	1, 7g	0.7g	0.7g
Dietary fiber		- g	3, 6g	3, 6g
Power		12, 0kcal	10, 0kcal	10, 0kcal
Sodium		7, 0mg	- mg	- mg
Potassium		180, 0mg	- mg	- mg
Iron		1.5mg	0, 7mg	- mg
Football		150, 0mg		- mg
Phosphorus		26, 0mg	31, 0mg	- mg
Thiamine		0, 03mg	0, 03mg	- mg
Riboflavin		0, 08mg	0, 19mg	- mg
Niacin		0.3mg	0.3mg	- mg
Vitamin A		267, 0μg	219, 0μg	300, 0μg
C vitamin		8, 0mg	17, 0mg	8, 0mg
Vitamin E		- mg	- mg	- mg