Endive

Endive is an annual or biennial plant that forms a rosette of curly, frilly leaves (curly endive or frisée) or broad, wavy leaves (escarole), with a pleasantly bitter flavor. When it bolts, it sends up a branched stem with pale blue, sometimes lavender flowers that open in the morning. The seeds are tiny, dry achenes about 2 to 3 millimeters long, gray-brown and slightly flattened, each tipped with a short crown of scales. They are sold mostly in packets for gardeners and market growers. Seeds can be sown for full-size heads, baby leaf mixes or microgreens, and are occasionally used for sprouting. They are not generally eaten as a dry seed.

Cichorium endivia is believed to have been domesticated in the Mediterranean region, with some authors suggesting origins in Egypt, India or the eastern Mediterranean from wild chicory relatives. The species is closely related to chicory (Cichorium intybus), and the two have been grown side by side for a very long time, which can cause confusion about names. The word endive comes from Old French and Medieval Latin endivia, traced back to Greek and Latin intybus or intubus, an ancient name for chicory and endive. The species name endivia carries the same root.

Wild relatives of endive were known to the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans as bitter greens eaten for food and for medicine. Classical writers such as Pliny described intybus plants and their uses, which probably included both chicory and endive. Over time, cultivated forms with finer, curlier leaves and broader escarole types were selected in the Mediterranean world.

Medieval gardeners in Europe grew endive in monastery gardens and kitchen plots, and by the sixteenth century it was a well-known salad plant in Italy, France and England. Techniques such as tying the outer leaves to blanch the heart, which reduces bitterness, became popular among market gardeners, and curly endive was a staple of French bistro salads. The plant went to North America with European settlers, and breeders developed varieties with improved heat tolerance and bolt resistance.

A frequent point of confusion remains between the names: in North America the elongated white heads sold as Belgian endive are blanched chicory roots, while true endive is the curly or broad-leaved salad plant. Seed companies today offer dozens of varieties for gardeners and growers, and the seeds are an inexpensive way to produce fresh greens in cool seasons.

Endive seeds are sown directly in garden beds or in trays in spring and late summer, as the plants prefer cool weather and run to seed in heat. Harvested leaves go into salads, are braised or sauteed with garlic and olive oil, or added to soups such as Italian escarole and bean soup. Baby leaves and microgreens can be grown quickly from the seed. Blanching the heart by covering the plant for a week or two softens the bitterness. Seeds are rarely used as a spice. Gardeners also save seed from mature bolted plants.

Endive leaves are low in calories and supply fiber, folate, vitamin K and vitamin A precursors. The bitter taste comes from sesquiterpene lactones, compounds that may stimulate digestive secretions and have been studied for anti-inflammatory activity, mostly in laboratory settings. Research specifically on the seeds is limited, so no health claims are made for them. Fresh greens are a healthy part of a varied diet.