Crop of the Week: Chicory

• Although the British and Americans speak the same language, there are cookies and biscuits, and, in this case, endive and chicory. What Americans call endive, the British call chicory, and what the Americans call chicory, the British call endive.

• Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is a hardy perennial that was brought to North America from Europe in the 1700s and is now well-established across the continent.

• Like specialty crops grown in the Yuma area, acreage devoted chicory is minimal. Yet it is an important crop for those who produce and use.

• Though chicory has a variety of uses, it's best known for its association with coffee. At many points through history, coffee became unavailable or too costly. People often turned to roasted chicory as a substitute. Folks also used to make coffee from roasted acorns, yams and a variety of local grains. Anything was better than going without!

• The origins of adding chicory to coffee as a filler and flavor enhancer began as early as the 15th century. The tradition spread to the French, and it became common in parts of Europe where coffee could not be grown or because it was cheaper.

• For many years, chicory was used to stretch coffee supplies in the United States, especially in hard times such as the Civil War. Somewhere along the way, chicory became synonymous with New Orleans coffee.

• There is no caffeine in chicory, and it produces a more roasted flavor than coffee does. Many coffee producers offer blends with up to 30 percent chicory, which cuts down on the caffeine content of your cup. But many folks enjoy a cup of coffee made entirely from ground, roasted chicory. It tends to have a flavor like chocolate.

• The young leaves can be used in salads, and the root can be boiled and eaten like a vegetable - it's related to endive and radicchio. Chicory also is grown as cattle feed in Europe.

• Chicory offers extra health benefits that you wouldn't normally get from your cup of coffee. It is reported to help cleanse the blood and improve the health of your liver.

Source: Kurt Nolte is an agriculture agent and Yuma County Cooperative Extension director. He can be reached at knolte@cals.arizona.edu or 726-3904.