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Cichorium endivia

L.
Endive Chicory · Cicoare · Endive · Cultivated endive · escarole

Summary

Cichorium endivia, commonly known as endive or escarole, is a leafy vegetable belonging to the daisy family. It is widely cultivated for its slightly bitter leaves, which are consumed both raw and cooked.

Region

It is native to the Mediterranean region and parts of western Asia, but it is now cultivated globally in temperate climates as a commercial and garden crop.

Uses: beneficial

It is primarily grown as a culinary vegetable, with its crisp leaves eaten raw in salads or braised and added to soups. When allowed to bolt and flower, it provides nectar for pollinators.

Uses: medicinal (traditional)

In traditional folk medicine, the bitter leaves and roots were consumed as a digestive tonic and mild laxative. It was also historically used to stimulate appetite and treat minor liver or gallbladder complaints.

Mythology and culture

It is sometimes used as one of the bitter herbs (maror) during the Jewish Passover Seder to symbolize the bitterness of slavery in Egypt.
Recorded in: Jewish, Mediterranean

Distribution

Galápagos IslandsNorth AmericaKoreaKeralaUkraineBosnia-HerzegovinaLithuaniaMoroccoAlbaniaBelarusCroatiaSyriaPortugalIsraelMadeiraVietnamLibyaItalySicilyBulgariaMyanmarEast European RussiaPolandPakistanBalearesCzech RepublicSpainCanary Is.RajasthanSlovakiaNorthwest European RussiaMontenegroRomaniaKritiEstoniaCongoMaltaNorwayFranceJordanGermanyLebanonSardegnaCorseHungaryLatviaNetherlandsGreeceTurkey-in-EuropeSouth European RussiaTurkeyCentral European RussiaKrymMoldovaprobably formed in cultivation; England [c]; Norway [c]; Netherlands [c]; Belgium [c]; Germany [c]; Switzerland [c]; Poland [c]; Slovakia [c]; Hungary [c]; Portugal [c]; Spain [c]; Baleares (Mallorca) [c]; France [c]; Corsica [c]; Sardinia [c]; Italy [c]; Sicily [c]; Malta [c]; Croatia [c]; Bosnia & Hercegovina [c]; Montenegro [c]; Albania [c]; Romania [c]; Bulgaria [c]; European Turkey [c]; Greece [c]; Crete [c]; Belarus [c]; European Russia [c]; Moldova [c]; Ukraine [c]; Morocco [c]; Algeria [c]; Tunisia [c]; Libya [c]; Madeira (Madeira Isl. [c], Porto Santo Isl.) [c]; Chad [c]; Kazakhstan [c]; East Aegaean Isl. [c]; Turkey [c]; Cyprus [c]; Lebanon [c]; Syria [c]; Israel [c]; Jordania [c]; China [c]; South Korea [c]; Pakistan [c]; India [c]; Myanmar [c]; Vietnam [c]; Java [c]; Australia [c] (New South Wales [c]); Gilbert Isl. [c]; Austral Isl. [c] (Rapa Iti [c]); Marshall Isl. [c] (Jaluit [c]); Guatemala [c]; El Salvador [c]; Costa Rica [c]; Panama [c]; Venezuela [c]BelgiumEgyptGilbert Is.Great BritainIndiaMarianasPalestineSiciliaWest HimalayaAfricaAsia-TemperateEuropeChinaMalesiaAlgeriaCyprusIranIraqLebanon-SyriaTranscaucasusYugoslaviaLuxembourgCaliforniaConnecticutGoaTamil NaduUttar PradeshSouth KoreaMaineMichiganNew South WalesOregonPennsylvaniaSwitzerlandWashingtonUttaranchalATAUBABEBGBRCACZDEDK

Images

flower (1)
flower

Sources

Event 42e0da66e8b9… published by npub1308mc75…