All about chicory

Welcome to the Vitalof page for consumers! Here you will find amusing and tasty chicory tips and will get to know Vitalof’s chicory growers.

Did you know that you can buy Dutch chicory the whole year round and that there are many different ways that you can prepare it? For instance, you can eat it raw, stew it, simmer it or use it as an ingredient in sauces, soups or hotpot stews.

Chicory is both delicious and healthy!
Chicory is a very healthy food and can be prepared in endlessly different ways. It is chock full of vitamins, including vitamins A, B and C. What’s more, chicory is rich in folic acid, which gives a boost to intestinal bacteria and facilitates a healthy pregnancy. The minerals in chicory ensure that liquids are properly expelled from the human body.

What’s more, chicory makes a very suitable dietary food, as it contains almost no calories – just 12 calories per 100 grammes. Above all, however, chicory is a terrifically tasty vegetable to eat!

Did you know that…

  • In the Netherlands, each person eats an average of 3.2 kilos of chicory a year!
  • It is even more popular in Belgium, where an average person eats 7 kilos of it a year! They call it ‘Witloof’ (chicory) there.
  • Chicory is related to endives, both of them belong to the chicory-succory family.
  • Chicory is grown in the dark, which ensures that the chlorophyll doesn’t get a chance to develop, so the chicory stays lovely and white.
  • The word ‘witloof’ means ‘white leaves’.
'Store chicory in a cool, dark place - this way it will stay fresh longer. The flow pack packaging used by Vitalof keeps our chicory fresh in your fridge for up to two weeks.'
- Albert en Bertine Bruins
'Chicory is a very healthy food and can be prepared in endlessly different ways. It is rich in vitamins, especially vitamins A, B and C.'
- Henri and Perry Peeters