Allotments 4 All

Can someone please explain to me in one sylabble words what the difference is?

My Dutch daughter in law asked me to explain it to her and I struggled,

This is what I think I know, please correct me if I am off as there are different names for these overseas and I am very confused.

Chicory..called Endive if loose leafed, Escarole if it has a head? Somewhat bitter. Some needs blanching some varieties don't.

Not to be confused with Belian Endive which is  a tighter cone shaped plant that is blanched,  Witloof?? Bitter?

Radicchio not connected to the above, better defined as a slow growing lettuce? Comes tall and squat rather like a cos or head lettuce, usually shades of red. Not bitter, not blanched?

Please jump in and sort me out XX Jeannine

all are related, same family (asters) and if you let them go to seed have the typical and beautiful blue aster flower which adds more beauty to our allotments - somewhat untidy plants though - all the names you mention are just different varieties of which there are many

all tend to be bitter in degrees - chicory is usually green, white, yellow some can be forced to give tight chicons and others are left to eat as they are more loose headed (not all though) - all are winter hardy - radicchio colours can be anything from green through to dark purple and white and the colours get more intense as the temperatures drop - these too can be either ballheads, compact and upright cylinder shapes or more looser heads - again some of these can be forced or left as they are

hope that helps somewhat  :)

part of the confusion is what we call Endive the French call chicorée frisée, and what we call Chicory they call Endive

Can someone please explain to me in one sylabble words what the difference is?

No.

But if one were allowed to use bigger words-The Suffolk Herb catalogue tries to explain the difference.

Personally I don`t get too worried about it

Hi Jeannine

Not in one syllable words, but translated in Dutch:
Escarole is "kropandijvie". You were right: it has a head as opposited to
endive, which is called "krulandijvie". Translated back into English this would be "curly escarole", which is not exactly right as it consists of a bundle of loosely connected leaves and not a head.

Chicory is called "lof", and can be either green, red and anything in between.
When you force and blanch chicory, you will get the white chicons called "brussels lof" of "witlof" (also spelled as witloof).

As far as I know, and is already mentioned by calendula, they belong to one happy family. I remember endive and escarole being mentioned in catalogues as chicory. In a French catalogue I noticed the different names of the family members.