As long as I've been involved with produce, people have argued over the true identity of endive. Here in the United States we give the name to a curly-leaved chicory that resembles giant frisée and is used in salads and sometimes cooked like a green. However, when customers who have roots in Europe, especially France and Belgium, are handed this big, green, frizzy lettuce, their reaction is most always the same: a puzzled, even disgusted, look on their faces, followed by the declaration, “That is not endive!”
Pronounced “on-deev” in France, called Belgian chicory in Great Britain and witloof (Dutch for “white leaf”) in Belgium, this member of the chicory family is the white shoot that we most commonly refer to as Belgian (and sometimes French) endive. Here in the Golden State we have our very own name: California Pearl.
Many laborious steps are necessary in order to produce this delicate shoot. According to California Vegetable Specialties, growers of California Pearl, seeds are sown in the spring; by fall a large root, similar in shape to a carrot but a bit more rugged and brown in color, is dug out of the ground, and the large, leafy, above-ground part of the plant is discarded; the roots are then placed in cold storage. Throughout the year, as needed, the roots are removed from the cold-storage facility and placed in growing trays in completely dark high-humidity rooms, where the roots are “forced” for three weeks, receiving daily irrigation with a special pesticide-free fertilizer solution. When the pure and clean shoots reach maturity, they are picked, trimmed, packed and sent to market. Because the roots produce endive only once in their lifetime, they are then discarded or sold to manufacturers who roast them to produce chicory coffee substitute, known for its use in New Orleans–style coffee.
This peculiar growing method was discovered accidentally in 1830 in a cellar near Brussels, when chicory roots stored for later use were found to have sprouted little white shoots. Commercial farming took off in the late 1840s, and when introduced in Paris in 1872, endive became tremendously popular and earned the nickname “white gold.”
Whether grown in California or imported from Belgium, endive is available year round. When selecting Belgian endive in the store, be cautious—the delicate leaves turn rancid fast. The shoot should always be white, firm and vibrant, without brown spots; the leaves should be closed at the tips and faintly yellow at the edges. A green color is a sign of too much light and age.
Mildly pungent and delicately sweet, Belgian endive petals make a flavorful salad along with watercress, arugula and light and fruity, but not sweet, vinaigrette. The shoots can also be used whole; try cutting them in half, drizzling them with olive oil and cooking them on the grill, or core the shoots and stuff them with goat cheese, blue cheese or crab. An old common recipe called “slit shoots” calls for slitting the shoots and stuffing them with good Swiss cheese and high-quality cured ham, then broiling them for 20 minutes.
Nutritional value in Belgian endive shoots and leaves? Zilch-o. These babies are eaten for pure enjoyment. They are, however, low in calories, as well as sodium- and cholesterol-
free. So, if you've passed up endive in the store because you just didn't know anything about it, well, now you do. Give it a try, then you can have an informed dialogue about the difference between endive and chicory. After all these years, I've learned to let folks call them whatever they want. |
Belgian Endive with Celery Root, Shoestring Beets and Candied Walnuts |
