chicory
ingredient / ingredient-chicory
チコリ / Cichorium intybus
Chicory leaves, roots, and chicory-derived food products.
Photographs (captions in Japanese)
チコリ（Cichorium intybus）の野生株。トルコ・シヴァス県ザラで撮影されたもので、細い茎に薄青紫色の花が多数咲き、根出葉が株元に見える。栽培されるベルギーエンダイブ（ウィットルーフ）など軟白栽培品とは見た目が異なる。
写っているもの: Cichorium intybus部位・状態: 野生状態で開花したチコリの地上部（茎葉と青紫色の花）
写真: Zeynel Cebeci／ CC BY-SA 4.0／ 原画像／ 台帳の原画像
写真の範囲と来歴
被写体の確認: 原典の記載による同定。原典はトルコで撮影された野生チコリの開花株。食用として流通するウィットルーフ・カットチコリー等の加工形態を示す写真ではない。
掲載画像: Wikimedia Commons の1920px版。苦味研究所では切り抜き・色調変更なし。 表示用には幅1200px上限のWebPを配信し、台帳の原画像は上のリンクから確認できます。
On this page (7 sections)
Reading the bitterness
Chicory (Cichorium intybus) is not a vegetable with one fixed way of preparation. Under EU geographical indication registration, forms ranging from red and variegated heading types of radicchio called Treviso, Castelfranco, Chioggia, and Verona, to young flower stems called puntarelle, are all positioned as varieties of chicory. Roasted and ground root has also been used as a coffee substitute. From leafy vegetables to processed root products, the range of forms is broad, but what is common to all is the bitterness characteristic of chicory.
The representative compounds that carry this bitterness are lactucin and lactucopicrin, which are classified as sesquiterpene lactones. In one study, lactucin was detected at 42.13 umol/g and lactucopicrin at 11.93 umol/g in raw chicory roots, and neither was present in roasted coffee. However, this concentration is not a fixed value specific to the material. In another study using fresh-cut chicory, the total amount of sesquiterpene lactones was reduced by 60.9–64.5% depending on the washing method, and the composition ratio of lactucin-class compounds was shown to change during storage.
There are also reports that in roasted chicory-containing coffee substitutes, the perception of bitterness changes depending on the order in which they are consumed. In a human taste-comparison test of chicory, coffee substitute, and roasted coffee, the bitterness of chicory was rated lower immediately after roasted coffee consumption, but conversely, the bitterness of roasted coffee did not change even when chicory was consumed first. The authors consider this asymmetry may be because roasted coffee activates a broader set of receptors, whereas the lactones contained in chicory act on a limited set of receptors that desensitize first; however, this is an interpretation from a single test with a panel of 16 individuals.
Sources for this overview
Single document: Radicchio Rosso di Treviso PGI
Checked for this overview: Confirmed that Treviso is defined as Cichorium intybus var. silvestre.
Summary of requirements: Radicchio Variegato di Castelfranco PGI
Checked for this overview: Confirmed that Castelfranco is a variegated form of chicory.
Summary of requirements: Radicchio di Chioggia PGI
Checked for this overview: Confirmed the classification of 2 Chioggia types: early and late.
Single document: Radicchio di Verona PGI
Checked for this overview: Confirmed that the Verona cultivar belongs to Cichorium intybus.
Application for registration: Cicoria puntarelle molfettese PGI
Checked for this overview: Confirmed in the application that puntarelle are flower stems of chicory.
Checked for this overview: Confirmed the use as a coffee substitute from the description of the research material as roasted chicory coffee substitute powder. / Confirmed the value of lactucin content of 42.13 umol/g in raw roots. / Confirmed the value of lactucopicrin content of 11.93 umol/g in raw roots. / Confirmed the asymmetric order effect of decreased chicory bitterness after roasted coffee consumption.
Checked for this overview: Confirmed the variability of 60.9–64.5% reduction in lactone amount with washing.
Follow the connections
chicory →— perceived bitterness is a…→ consumption sequence
chicory →contains→ lactucin →contributes to→ bitterness
chicory →contains→ lactucopicrin →contributes to→ bitterness
Structured claims — open a section to read each claim's confidence, evidence and limits
Composition and content (7)
Scope: Chicory and chicory-based coffee substitute in the cited research
Note: Concentration varies with the material and preparation.
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ingredient-chicory —contains→ compound-lactucinScope: Chicory and chicory-based coffee substitute in the cited research
Note: Concentration varies with the material and preparation.
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ingredient-chicory —contains→ compound-lactucopicrinScope: Classification under the EU PGI specification
Note: In the legal specification, it is Cichorium intybus L. var. silvestre.
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ingredient-radicchio-treviso —is_a_type_of→ ingredient-chicoryScope: Classification under the EU PGI specification
Note: A variegated form of Cichorium intybus var. silvestre.
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ingredient-radicchio-castelfranco —is_a_type_of→ ingredient-chicoryScope: Classification under the EU PGI specification
Note: Includes 2 types, early and late.
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ingredient-radicchio-chioggia —is_a_type_of→ ingredient-chicoryScope: Classification under the EU PGI specification
Note: Rossa di Verona, of the genus Cichorium, species intybus.
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ingredient-radicchio-verona —is_a_type_of→ ingredient-chicoryScope: A 2026 EU geographical indication registration application
Note: This is treated as still at the application stage, not as a completed registration.
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ingredient-puntarelle-molfettese —is_a_type_of→ ingredient-chicorySensory (1)
Scope: Human order-effect test using chicory, coffee substitute, and roasted coffee.
Note: The effect is specific to the tested foods and the order design.
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ingredient-chicory —has_perceived_bitterness_affected_by→ process-consumption-sequence