In common parlance, for endive we mean a type of "salad" (leafy vegetable) with an open "head" or closed "bud" shape; the endive is white, yellow and (only at the top of the head) tending to green.
The most popular varieties of endive differ in latifolium, or rather called escarole, e crispum, known as riccia. There is a variety of endive which, through a process of "forcing or artifice", acquires a "stem" or "cigar" shape, a crunchy consistency, and a sweeter but less bitter flavor; it is the Belgian endive or Brussels chicory.
The best known types of endive will be described below1.
Curly endive
- Early curly endive: Riccia d "Italia, Riccia romanesca, Riccia cuor d" oro and Mantovana
- Late curly endive: Riccia d "winter, red of Moncalieri with white or pink coast.
Endive escarole
It is a variety of autumn-winter endive.
- Bergamo endive: it is a "endive typical of the area around the walls of the Upper Town of Bergamo and is distinguished from other varieties by the particular process of" bleaching "of the internal leaves. After sowing in July, in October it is tied to allow the internal leaves to remain totally sheltered from the light; with the onset of cold weather, the endive plants are then transferred to the basements and left to mature.
- Endive Radicchia of Lucca: it is a variety of endive limited to the province of the city of Lucca which takes on an intense green color and can be used both raw and cooked.
Nutritional Composition of Endive - INRAN Food Composition Tables
Nutritional values (per 100 g of edible portion)
Edible part
69,0%
Waterfall
93.0g
Proteins
0.9g
Lipids TOT
0.3g
Saturated fatty acids
- g
Monounsaturated fatty acids
- g
Polyunsaturated fatty acids
- g
Cholesterol
0.0mg
TOT Carbohydrates
2.7g
Starch
0.0g
Soluble sugars
2.7g
Dietary fiber
1.6g
Power
16.0kcal
Sodium
10.0mg
Potassium
380.0mg
Iron
1.7mg
Football
93.0mg
Phosphorus
31.0mg
Thiamine
0.05mg
Riboflavin
0.30mg
Niacin
0.5mg
Vitamin A
213.0µg
C vitamin
35.0mg
Vitamin E
- mg
Belgian endive or Brussels chicory
The Belgian endive or Brussels chicory is a variety of chicory that undergoes a particular process of forcing or artifice. Its discovery took place in the city of Brussels (19th century AD) in a completely random way: a farmer left some chicory roots in the cellar and realized that these sprouted with almost totally white leaves; later, the variety was improved by a botanist and marketed for the first time in France.
It is therefore possible to produce Belgian endive at home by following this procedure: 1. Remove the tufts with the roots from the ground and leave them stacked for 4-5 days in the open air; 2. Remove all the green leaves and shorten the roots ; 3. Place the defoliated tufts upright and side by side in a container with river sand; 4. Place the container in a dark environment with a temperature between 5-10 ° C; 5. To improve its productivity, gradually increase the temperature and ventilate the room periodically.
Nutritional characteristics
The endive is a vegetable with a very modest energy supply; it contains very few fats, proteins and carbohydrates, while it boasts an excellent quantity of water, fiber (especially inulin), mineral salts and vitamins.
Among the contributions of mineral salts stand out the content of potassium, iron and calcium, while with regard to water-soluble vitamins there is no lack of riboflavin (vit. B2), niacin (vit. PP) and ascorbic acid (vit. C); among the fat-soluble vitamins there is a notable contribution of retinol equivalents (carotenoids - pro vit. A).
Belgian Salad and Speck Rolls
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Bibliography:
- Vegetables in Italy - L. Cabrini, F. Malerba - Italian Touring Club - page 99
- Food composition tables - National Research Institute for Food and Nutrition (INRAN).
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