What is chicory coffee?

Chicory, an evergreen plant from Europe, was brought to North America in 1700. Fresh young leaves can be used for raw food in salads, while old leaves are bitter and can be boiled in water and eaten. But it is famous for its close relationship with coffee, which was once difficult to obtain or expensive in history. In these days, people usually roasted chicory as a substitute for coffee.

The root of chicory is long and thick, like the main root of dandelion, and when dried and roasted, it becomes an excellent substitute for coffee. There is no caffeine in chicory, which produces more roasting flavor than coffee, and many coffee producers use up to 30% of chicory to mix coffee with less caffeine.