56 



ORIGIN AND HISTORY OF OUR GARDEN VEGETABLES. 



The chicory was called xc-rix by the ancient Greeks, arid Intubum 

 by the Eomans. This word appears to have been corrupted to hindeb in 

 Arabic and " endive " in English. Though looked upon as a medicinal 

 herb, Pliny observes that " the wild endive has certain refreshing 

 qualities, and is used as an aliment." Ovid also mentioned it as a 

 salad plant. 



Having been originally introduced into Europe from Egypt, 

 it spread as a garden herb from Italy, and was first received in England 

 before 1548, when Turner speaks of two sorts of Intybus, the culti- 

 vated and the wild. " The former is the white and garden endive; the 

 wild also has two sorts, cichorium and the dandelion." Other writers 



FIG. 23. WILD CHICORY. One-eighth natural size. 



of the sixteenth century describe the crisped-leaved as well as the broad- 

 and narrow-leaved varieties. The former resembles the wild form of 

 Egypt to-day, the latter our wild runcinate species. 



These differences are due to the nature of the soil and climate, 

 just as the horseradish, dandelion, &c., vary greatly in the form 

 of the leaf according to the soil in which they grow. At the present 

 day C. Intybus is cultivated in Paris under the name Barbe de 

 Capucin, and consists of elongated, very narrow leaves, being little 

 else than the mid-rib, which is blanched. Witloof, or Brussels 

 chicory, is derived from the variety with broader leaves. M. H. L. 

 de Vilmorin * remarks, "It is noticeable that in all leaves developed 



* Saladings (JOURNAL R.H.S., 1890, March 25, p. 260). 



