Roman Chicory
Estimated Inventory, head : 0
Description/Taste
Roman chicory is comprised of small, basal rosettes that develop low to the ground and vary in size, depending on maturity at harvest. The splayed rosettes average 10 to 22 centimeters in length, and when sold in markets, they are bunched together to create the appearance of volume. Each leaf is thin, slender, elongated, and pliable once separated from the rosette. The leaves also range from 3 to 4 centimeters in diameter and are often irregular in shape, showcasing a jagged, toothed, deeply lobed nature. Roman chicory leaves feature dark green hues, while the stems are lighter green, hollow, and easily snapped. One side of the stem is typically flat, and the other side is curved, giving the entire rosette a curved appearance when bunched together. The stems also reveal stringy fibers when broken in half. The leaves have light veining and are tender, crisp, and subtly chewy with a faint earthy aroma. Roman chicory is edible raw or cooked and is known for its refreshingly bitter, grassy, peppery, and vegetal taste. Once cooked with aromatics, the bitter notes are mellowed and become more balanced.
Seasons/Availability
Roman chicory greens are available fresh in the fall through spring, with a peak season in August through early December.
Current Facts
Roman chicory, botanically classified as Cichorium intybus, is a type of chicory grown in the Lazio region of Italy, belonging to the Asteraceae family. Lazio is a region in west-central Italy that extends from the coast to inland countryside. There are several provinces within Lazio, including Rome, and the area features valleys, mountains, coastal plains, and several other unique geographic characteristics. Historically, Roman chicory describes a wild species foraged in the inland countryside in Lazio. The tender greens are an anticipated fall and spring culinary and medicinal ingredient and are known by several names in Italy, including Cicoria selvatica, Cicoria de Campo, Cicorella, and Cicorietta. When in season, Roman chicory is marketed throughout fresh markets in Lazio and is a heavily promoted specialty ingredient on restaurant menus. The species is almost entirely edible, favored for its edible leaves, roots, and flowers, and the leaves are the most collected portion, known for their bitter but refreshing taste. It is important to note that this once-wild species has also been planted on farmland and is now cultivated on a small scale, but the wild greens are the most revered. Roman chicory is fast-growing and is traditionally hand-cut with a knife about 2 to 3 centimeters above the base to sustainably harvest and preserve the plants for future growth. Young and tender greens are the desired state for culinary applications, and the leaves are utilized in a wide array of fresh and cooked preparations.
Nutritional Value
Roman chicory is a source of potassium to balance fluid levels within the body, fiber to regulate the digestive tract, vitamin C to strengthen the immune system, and magnesium to control nerve functions. The wild greens also provide vitamin A to maintain healthy organs, iron to develop the protein hemoglobin for oxygen transport through the bloodstream, calcium to protect bones and teeth, and other nutrients, including vitamins K, E, and B5, copper, phosphorus, zinc, and manganese. Chicory contains chicoric acid, an organic compound that contributes to the green’s bitter taste, and the leaves have been studied by medicinal experts for their purifying, antioxidant, and detoxifying properties. Chicory greens are boiled into tea and consumed as a method to cleanse the body and improve complexion. The leaves are also made into an ointment as a topical soother.
Applications
Roman chicory has a bitter, earthy, grassy, and green taste suited for fresh and cooked preparations. The leaves are mostly cooked to mellow their bitter taste, but after the first period of cold weather in the winter, young and tender greens are picked and eaten raw in salads. During the rest of the harvest period, Roman chicory is traditionally blanched and sauteed with aromatics. The leaves will shrink in size once cooked and are often a part of cucina povera, a historical cooking style in Italy that utilizes wild greens as a cost-effective ingredient. Cucina povera has transformed over the years from a style among low-income families to a method cherishing the local ingredients found growing naturally. Roman chicory is commonly blanched and sauteed with garlic, olive oil, salt, and chili pepper flakes. This side dish is served with fish and meat mains and is celebrated for its simple but flavorful nature. Roman chicory is also blended into pesto and popularly served with pasta and pecorino cheese in Italy. When in season, restaurants throughout Rome feature chicory leaves in frittatas, soups, focaccia, and as a pizza topping. The cooked greens are also stuffed into sandwiches, layered on crostini, added to ravioli and risotto, or mixed into savory pie fillings. In the countryside of Lazio, Roman chicory leaves are cooked and mixed into pureed broad beans as a rich dish. The flowers and roots of the species are also edible. The petals can be sprinkled over salads, soups, and cheeses, and the roots can be cooked and caramelized to develop a sweet taste. Roman chicory pairs well with raisins, pine nuts, tofu, fava, chickpeas, capers, lemon juice, potatoes, and dill. Whole, unwashed leaves have a short shelf life and will keep up to one week when stored loosely wrapped or in a perforated plastic bag in the refrigerator. Roman chicory can also be dried or blanched and frozen for extended use.
Ethnic/Cultural Info
Wild chicory flowers are a part of a famous folktale that has been adapted throughout European history. The story is most closely associated with Romanian lore and explains why the plant’s brilliant blue blossoms follow the sun. Legend has it that a young woman named Donna Floridor was so beautiful that the sun fell in love with her. The sun proposed to Donna, but the young girl refused the offer, angering the sun. In his rejection, the sun turned the girl into a blue blossom, now known as the chicory flower. It is said that this flower will eternally face the sun's direction, following it throughout the day. The name sponsa solis, or “bride of the sun,” was eventually given to the blooms, as the rotating flowers symbolize the young girl forever looking at the sun that she rejected as a bridegroom. There are several other variations of this story throughout Europe, but these legends are mainly used to describe the chicory flower’s heliotropic nature. Chicory flowers were later featured in Carl Linnaeus’s theoretical floral clock in his work “Philosophia Botanica,” a method of estimating the time of day based on various flower species in their opened or closed states.
Geography/History
Roman chicory is a type of wild chicory found in the Lazio region of Italy. Wild chicory, in general, is native to areas of Europe, Northern Africa, and Central Asia and has been naturally growing since ancient times. In Europe, the species is thought to have origins in the Mediterranean and was later spread along trade routes into other parts of Europe. Wild chicory was first recorded in the Ebers Papyrus, a medicinal text discovered in Egypt that dates to 1550 BCE. This compilation is one of the oldest known medicinal texts. Wild chicory was mentioned in several herbal remedies as the species was foraged along the banks of the Nile River. Wild Chicory was also recorded as a medicinal and culinary ingredient in Ancient Greece and Rome. Well-known Greek physician Galen of Pergamon called Wild chicory a “friend of the liver,” and Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder recorded the species in his work “Naturalis Historia” to help with abdominal ailments. Wild chicory was later mentioned as one of the seventy-five herbs that were grown in Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne’s garden, and the species was prevalent in German and Romanian folkloric texts. In the early 18th century, chicory became known for its root, which was used as a substitute for coffee after the continental blockade enacted by Napoleon prevented the import of coffee. Chicory root coffee was also a common drink that was served in shortages during World War II. Wild chicory was eventually cultivated and selectively bred, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries, creating new varieties with varying flavors, leaf sizes, and appearances. Today, Wild chicory still naturally grows throughout the Mediterranean, Central Asia, and Northern Africa. In Italy, Roman chicory is foraged from fields and meadows, along roadsides and pathways, and in disturbed environments. The species has also been planted in home gardens as a culinary and medicinal ingredient and is grown by select farms in Lazio. When in season, Roman chicory greens are sold through local markets near their growing region within Lazio. The Roman chicory featured in the photograph above was sourced through a vendor in Mercato Trionfale in Rome, Italy.
