Chicory Flower

This blue wildflower blooms profusely this time of year amidst dry grassy fields. and along roadsides.It needs very little if any water and is very pretty when little else is blooming. It is native to Europe, but has become widely naturalized in North America, China, and Australia where it is harvested for salad greens and animal forage . Its baked and ground roots are used as a coffee substitute. It is still commonly used in the south, where it was introduced after the Civil War when coffee beans were scarce or non-existent.

In fact, coffee first came to North America by way of New Orleans from French Martinique. The chicory was added by the French during their civil war when coffee was scarce. The Acadians brought their taste for coffee with chicory from Nova Scotia to Louisiana. No visit to New Orleans is complete without a visit to Cafe du Monde for their famous chicory laced coffee and beignets. 

The humble chicory flower has just taken me on a little detour down memory lane. I can still taste the Cafe au Lait, and the delectable little squares of fried dough. I can picture standing in the the queue to order as it files  past the kitchen, every surface and human within coated with the powdered sugar shaken over the beignets, and smelling of golden fried fritters….

A pleasant detour from the dusty shores of Spring Lake where a cross country track meet caused us to stand amongst the chicory flowers to watch the stampede pass.