JANUARY 2021 67
radicchio
Colorful radicchios hail from Italy,
and many of them have protected
geographical indication (PGI) desig-
nation, which means varieties must
be grown in a certain place to be
called by a certain name.
Castelfranco, from the town of
Castelfranco Veneto in Northern
Italy, has large, fluffy heads of
feathery-looking chartreuse leaves
streaked with magenta. Their bitter-
ness is mild, and the leaves are soft
but retain a delicate snap.
Chioggia, the most common radic-
chio in the U.S., has tightly packed
leaves with a uniformly crisp texture,
and a bitterness that’s noticeable
but not too aggressive.
La Rosa del Veneto has soft, light
pink leaves. Cooking them softens
their intensely bitter flavor, though it
also makes their color fade; they’re
at their prettiest left raw.
Rosso di Verona, the result of new
breeding techniques developed in
the 18th and early 19th centuries, is
a striking and very bitter chicory. It
has tightly packed crimson leaves,
sturdy white midribs, and heads
shaped like squat footballs.
Treviso has narrow red leaves with
thick white ribs. It comes in two
varieties: precoce (early) and tar-
divo (late). The heads of the latter
(pictured opposite) are especially
fun—they look like little squid, with
the long, spindly leaves resemblingtentacles. They have a crisp texture
and a very faint bitterness. A pro tip
from Campo Rosso Farm: Try roast-
ing whole tardivo—roots and all. “We
just put olive oil on the tardivo and
some salt and roast at 375°F until
it’s well wilted and starting to color,”
Chris Field says.belgian endive
Also known as witloof, which means
“white leaf” in Dutch, these torpedo-
shaped chicories (pictured at center
left) have light, triangular leaves that
are sweet and juicy, with a satisfying
snap and just a trace of bitterness.
They are white because they are
grown buried in sand, in complete
darkness—a technique developed
in the mid-19th century by the head
gardener of the Botanical Garden of
Brussels, Frans Bresiers. Exposing
the heads to light causes greening
and increased bitterness; when
shopping for them, seek out the
palest leaves available.puntarelle
Also known as Catalogna, this
chicory comes from Central and
Southern Italy. The plant has dark
green leaves and pale, bulbous,
hollow stalks that form the core of
the plant. Although people do eat
the leaves, which are like less bitter
dandelion greens, the stalks, which
resemble asparagus spears, are
the famous part of this plant—they
are juicy and crunchy, with a gentle
bitterness.know yourchicoriesAll chicories are descended from wild chicory, a blue flowering plant
with a long taproot that grows all over the world, with a major presence
in Europe and Asia. Within the chicory genus, there are two main culti-
vated species, endives (Cichorium endivia), which include curly endive,
frisée, and escarole, and chicories (Cichorium intybus), which include
the confusingly named Belgian endive, radicchio, and puntarelle.
escarole
Thought to be native
to Sicily, escarole is a
broad-leaved endive
that grows in large
heads with ruffled
leaves. The outer
leaves are darker and
more bitter; the inner
leaves are pale, buttery
yellow, and sweet.curly endive
Intensely bitter curly
endive (pictured at top
left) has a more com-
pact head with lacy-
looking leaves that
are tough in texture
with a peppery bite. Its
pale, milder heart is
sometimes marketed
as frisée.frisée
Frisée is the name for
types of curly endive
with loose heads of
strongly curled, skinny,
frizzy, soft-textured
leaves. They’re some-
times blanched (grown
in darkness) to accen-
tuate their tenderness
and pale color.