Cichorium endivia - Botanischer Garten Mainz IMG 5453

Endive () is a

leaf vegetable Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by their petioles and shoots, if tender. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gre ...

belonging to the genus ''

Cichorium ''Cichorium'' is a genus of plants in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae. The genus includes two cultivated species commonly known as chicory or endive, plus several wild species.Cichorium endivia ''Cichorium endivia'' is a species of flowering plant belonging to the genus ''Cichorium'', which is widely cultivated as one of the species of similar bitter-leafed vegetables known as endive Endive () is a leaf vegetable belonging to the ge ...

'' (also called endive), ''

Cichorium pumilum ''Cichorium pumilum'' is a Mediterranean species of plant in the tribe Cichorieae within the family Asteraceae . Like the other species of ''Cichorium'', its leaves are edible by humans. The plant produces bluish-violet flower heads A pseudan ...

'' (also called wild endive), and ''

Cichorium intybus Common chicory (''Cichorium intybus'') is a somewhat woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the family Asteraceae, usually with bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink. Native to Europe, it has been introduced to the Americas and Australia. M ...

'' (also called chicory). Chicory includes types such as

radicchio Radicchio is a perennial cultivated form of leaf chicory (''Cichorium intybus'', Asteraceae), commonly used in Italian cuisine. It is grown as a leaf vegetable and usually has colourful, white-veined red leaves that form a head. Radicchio has ...

puntarelle Puntarelle or ''cicoria di catalogna'' or ''cicoria asparago'' is a variant of chicory. The heads are characterized by an elongated shape (about 40–50 cm), light green stems and dandelion shaped leaves. 'Puntarelle' shoots have a pleasantly bit ...

, and

Belgian endive Belgian endive (''Cichorium intybus),'' also known as ("white leaf") chicory or ''chicon'', is a lettuce-like vegetable or salad green. Belgian endive was developed in Belgium in the 1850s and is nicknamed "white gold" in that country. In 2021 ...

. There is considerable confusion between ''Cichorium endivia'' and ''Cichorium intybus''.

''Cichorium endivia''

There are two main varieties of cultivated ''C. endivia'' chicon: * Curly endive, or frisée (var. ''crispum''). This type has narrow, green, curly outer leaves. It is sometimes called chicory in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and is called ''chicorée frisée'' in French. Further confusion results from the fact that frisée also refers to greens lightly wilted with oil. * Escarole, or broad-leaved endive (var. ''latifolia''), has broad, pale green leaves and is less bitter than the other varieties. Varieties or names include broad-leaved Batavian endive, grumolo, scarola, and scarole. It is eaten like other greens, sauteed, chopped into soups and stews, or as part of a green salad. File:Friseesalat1 (fcm).jpg, Frisée

''Cichorium intybus''

''Cichorium intybus'' endive is popular in Europe, and is also known as leaf chicory. File:Cicoria catalogna, Italia, supermarket.jpg, Catalogna, also called asparagus endive File:Cicoria puntarelle Torino.JPG, Puntarelle, the prized central stalks of the Catalogna endive File:Cichorium intybus convar foliosum20120319 02.jpg,

Chemical constituents

Endive is rich in many vitamins and minerals, especially in

folate Folate, also known as vitamin B9 and folacin, is one of the B vitamins. Manufactured folic acid, which is converted into folate by the body, is used as a dietary supplement and in food fortification as it is more stable during processing and ...

and vitamins A and K, and is high in

fiber Fiber (spelled fibre in British English; from ) is a natural or artificial substance that is significantly longer than it is wide. Fibers are often used in the manufacture of other materials. The strongest engineering materials often inco ...

. It also contains

kaempferol Kaempferol (3,4′,5,7-tetrahydroxyflavone) is a natural flavonol, a type of flavonoid, found in a variety of plants and plant-derived foods including kale, beans, tea, spinach, and broccoli. It is also found in propolis extracts. Kaempferol i ...

.DuPont, M. S., Day, A. J., Bennett, R. N., Mellon, F. A., Kroon, P. A., ''Absorption of kaempferol from endive, a source of kaempferol-3-glucuronide, in humans'', Eur J Clin Nutr 2004 Jun;58(6):947-54

References

External links

* * * * {{Cite Collier's, wstitle=Endive , short=x Cichorieae Leaf vegetables sv:Frisésallat