What is chicory and why is it added to coffee?
Chicory is a wild flower and herb with references that date back to ancient Greece. It has a pretty lavender blue flower and grows wild in Europe and the United States. Anyone traveling in the southeast US may have seen it growing along roadsides. For use in coffee, the root of the plant is dried, baked and ground up. It adds flavor to coffee and is thought to kill intestinal worms. It has been used as a coffee substitute. In many Mediterranean countries, India and the American southeast (especially New Orleans) chicory is routinely added to coffee for flavoring. For more information, read our post about a Taste of New Orleans.
