What is chicory?
Q: What is chicory?
A: Chicory is a woody, perennial herbaceous plant of the dandelion family Asteraceae. It usually has bright blue flowers, rarely white or pink.
Q: What is chicory used for?
A: Chicory is often used as a food plant, and often as a coffee substitute. Many varieties are cultivated for salad leaves, chicons (blanched buds), or roots. The roots of variety sativum are baked, ground, and used as a coffee substitute and food additive.
Q: What is inulin?
A: Inulin is an extract from chicory root that has been used in food manufacturing as a sweetener and source of dietary fibre.
Q: Where is chicory commonly grown?
A: Chicory lives as a wild plant on roadsides in its native Europe, and is now common in North America, China, and Australia, where it has become widely introduced.
Q: What is the common name for curly endive in the United States?
A: "Chicory" is the common name in the United States for curly endive (Cichorium endivia).
Q: Are chicory and curly endive the same thing?
A: Chicory and curly endive are closely related species, but they are not the same thing.
Q: What is a forage crop?
A: A forage crop is a crop grown specifically to be used as food for livestock. Chicory is grown as a forage crop for livestock.
