One Plant a Week: Chicory
This is the twenty-sixth post in our new series, One Plant a Week, where we learn a new, edible plant every week. That means that if you follow along, you’ll know 52 new plants after only a year of doing this. As our foraging expert guest, Pascal Baudar said on the Wild Fish and Game Podcast, it will make you more of a wild plant expert than 99.99999% of the population.
We recommend you go out and find these plants if they exist in your region. You don’t necessarily have to harvest them; simply familiarize yourself with them and get to know them well. See them in their different phases of life, in different terrains and conditions. See who else likes to eat them (Bears? Squirrels?), pollinate them (Butterflies? Hummingbirds?), or use them (Nesting birds? Muskrats?). Use plant ID apps, along with foraging/ID books, online resources, and mentors to teach yourself about them more and to get comfortable enough with them that you can ID to 100% accuracy.
Then, if you feel confident enough, bring some home and try preparing some to eat. Try doing this with different specimens in different stages of life to see when it is best to harvest them. Knowing these plants through and through will transform the way you interact with the outdoors, as well as the way you see food. A warning though: this is an addictive hobby!
An additional warning: Plant ID apps are not 100% accurate, and you should not be eating ANYTHING wild unless you are 100% sure that it is safe to do so. Do not rely solely on one source for your information (including us), and do not eat anything unless you’ve properly identified it.
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This Week is All About Chicory!
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is one of the most recognizable wild plants in North America and Europe, with its striking sky-blue flowers blooming along roadsides, fields, and meadows in summer. While many people admire its color without knowing its name, chicory has a long history as both food and medicine. Every part of the plant (leaves, roots, and flowers) offers something to the forager’s pantry.
First cultivated in ancient Egypt and later spread across Europe, chicory has been valued for centuries as both a leafy vegetable and a substitute for coffee. During times of scarcity, especially in the American Civil War and both World Wars, roasted chicory root became a popular stand-in for coffee beans. Today, it remains an important culinary and cultural plant, used in traditional European and Creole cuisines.
For foragers, chicory is a versatile and dependable wild edible. Its leaves provide bitter but nutritious greens, the flowers add beauty and flavor to salads, and the roots can be roasted, ground, and brewed into a rich, earthy beverage.
Description:
Chicory is a perennial herb in the daisy family (Asteraceae). It grows 1–4 feet tall, often with multiple tough, ridged stems that branch sparsely. The basal leaves resemble those of dandelions—elongated, lobed, and toothed—while upper leaves are smaller and clasp the stem. The most striking feature is its bright blue, daisy-like flowers, each about 1–1.5 inches across, with toothed petals that open in the morning and close by afternoon.
The roots are long, thick taproots, pale brown on the outside and white inside, similar in shape to a parsnip. These roots anchor the plant deeply, making it difficult to pull up by hand. The entire plant exudes a milky sap when cut.
Lookalikes include wild lettuces (Lactuca spp.) and dandelions (Taraxacum officinale). However, chicory’s upright stems, bright blue flowers, and branching growth habit make it relatively easy to identify once you’re familiar with it.
Edibility:
Chicory is entirely edible, though different parts are best used in different ways. The young spring leaves can be eaten raw in salads, though they carry a noticeable bitterness. More mature leaves are usually blanched, sautéed, or boiled to mellow their flavor. The flowers are edible too, adding color and a mild, slightly bitter taste to salads or garnishes.
The roots are the most famous edible portion. When roasted and ground, they yield a dark, aromatic powder that can be brewed into a coffee substitute or blended with real coffee for extra depth. The raw roots can also be boiled or baked as a starchy vegetable, though their bitterness is stronger than potatoes or parsnips. Nutritionally, chicory is rich in inulin, a prebiotic fiber that supports gut health, along with vitamins A, C, and K, plus minerals like manganese and potassium.
Ten Recommended Uses
1. Spring salads – Use young leaves raw with milder greens.
2. Sautéed greens – Cook mature leaves with olive oil, garlic, or bacon.
3. Blanched chicory – Bury crowns or cover plants to reduce bitterness.
4. Flower garnish – Sprinkle blue petals over salads or desserts.
5. Roasted root coffee – Roast, grind, and brew as a caffeine-free drink.
6. Coffee extender – Blend with coffee grounds for a traditional New Orleans-style brew.
7. Root vegetable – Boil or bake roots like parsnips in stews or roasts.
8. Fermented greens – Use leaves in kimchi-style ferments.
9. Medicinal tea – Brew roots for digestive and liver-supporting tea.
10. Wild bitters – Use leaves in aperitifs, amaros, or bitters recipes.
Harvesting and Processing Tips
Collecting
Harvest leaves in spring or fall, before flowering, when bitterness is lowest. For roots, dig in autumn of the plant’s first year, before they become woody. Flowers can be gathered in midsummer for fresh use.
Processing
To make coffee, wash, peel, and slice roots before roasting them in an oven at low heat until dark brown and aromatic. Grind finely before brewing. Leaves can be blanched in boiling water to reduce bitterness, then used like spinach.
Storage
Dried root pieces or powders can be kept for months in airtight containers. Fresh leaves store only a few days but can be frozen or dried. Flowers are best eaten immediately after harvesting.
Cultural Note: Chicory Coffee in New Orleans
One of chicory’s most enduring cultural legacies lives in New Orleans. During the 1800s, coffee shortages in France and later in Louisiana led people to stretch their beans by mixing them with roasted chicory root. The practice stuck, not only for thrift but also for taste. Chicory lent body, color, and a roasted, nutty depth that complemented coffee’s bitterness.
By the time of the American Civil War, when coffee imports were disrupted, chicory coffee became a mainstay in Louisiana households. Today, it remains a beloved tradition. Famous cafés in New Orleans still serve café au lait brewed from a blend of coffee and chicory, often paired with powdered sugar–dusted beignets.
For foragers and cooks, roasting wild chicory root is a way to tap into that same cultural history—transforming a humble roadside weed into a flavor that has defined one of America’s great regional cuisines.