chicory

noun

1. (countable)Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family.

   “Endive—is another species of chicory, and a native of the East Indies. It was introduced into this country in 1548, is a hardy annual, requires a rich soil to secure its rapid maturity, and is blanched by tying up the leaves when it has attained its full growth. [...] It is used as a salad, ragout, or as a constituent of soups, &c.; and is considered very digestible and well adapted as a green vegetable for those who have delicate digestive organs.”

   “The eating is beautiful; that must be allowed. Two soups, three fishes, five roast chickens, and a piece of veal, stewed with cherries; a dish of chops with chickory, and a meat-pie garnished with cockscombs— [...]”

   “In yet others the whole mass of the florets, central as well as external, has assumed this ray-like or strap-like form; and to this group belong the dandelions, hawk-weeds, salsifies, lettuces, sow-thistles, chiccories, nippleworts, and cat's-ears.”

2. (British, countable, uncountable)Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family.

   “sugarloaf chicory”

   “I sent you the chiccory seed for trial, as it is so highly spoken of by A. Young and other British writers, [...] In foreign countries an imitation of coffee is made, by grinding the dried and burnt roots, and mixing a little real coffee wih the ground roots.”

   “In its fresh vegetable state, chicory, or succory—the Cichorium Intybus of botanists, is said to be a good tonic, and to have the effect of an aperient.”

   “The Colonial Garden contains plants brought from the Old World by colonists, as well as native plants that were used in colonial times. Planted here are yarrow (Achillea millefolium), chicory (Cichorium intybus), bee balm (Monarda didyma), and sorrel (Rumex acetosa).”

   “Chicories are a cool-weather salad staple throughout most of Italy. They include the rustic cutting chicories sometimes found growing wild in Italy, the burgundy-colored heading radicchios, and the elegant Belgian endive. All chicories share a mildly bitter taste that can be mitigated by blanching them and soaking them in salted water.”

3. (Canada, US, countable, uncountable)Either of two plants of the Asteraceae family.

   “The leaves of the cultivated chicory, endive, when blanched, form an ingredient in early spring salads.”

   “In the beginning of May, 1870, we sowed some seed of this Dandelion in a well prepared bed, in which the roots could easily develope themselves without meeting with any obstacle. The young plants soon appeared above ground, and in autumn we were able to cut from them great quantities of long and large leaves, which made an excellent salad. Others were cooked the same as Chicory (Endive), and were found to be very good.”

4. (uncountable)A coffee substitute made from the roasted roots of the common chicory, sometimes used as a cheap adulterant in real coffee.

   “The Coffee planters have invariably waged war against the use of Chicory, under the conscientious conviction that every ounce of Chicory consumed in England displaced an ounce of their Coffee in the market. [...] That the prudent, sensible, moderate use of Chicory has been abused, there can be no question; but the same remark applies to everything which has every been found useful in any branch of manufacture whatever.”

   “Chiccory, as gentlemen know, is a substitute for coffee, and is preferred by many people to coffee. It is recommended by physicians in many cases of nervous disease as a substitute for coffee for the use of those for whose nerves coffee is too violent, yet who are accustomed to that beverage when in health.”

   “It is a very prevalent idea that the admixture of chicory with coffee is a decided improvement, and de gustibus non est disputandum [tastes cannot be disputed]; but the low price of chicory as compared with coffee is a strong temptation to increase the proportion of chicory to an undue extent.”