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Belgian endive is also known as French endive in the USA, chicory in the UK. The plant has to be kept just below the soil surface as it grows, only showing the very tip of the leaves. It is often sold wrapped in blue paper to protect it from light and so preserve its pale colour and delicate flavour. The smooth, creamy white leaves may be served stuffed, baked, boiled, cut and cooked in a milk sauce, or simply cut raw. Slightly bitter, the whiter the leaf, the less bitter the taste. The harder inner part of the stem, at the bottom of the head, should be cut out before cooking to prevent bitterness.

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The Belgian endive is an important European vegetable. It has a delicate, somewhat bitter flavour and is used cooked in a variety of dishes and raw in salads. The edible product is the blanched cluster of leaves often yellow tipped from the compact bud, which is usually called the head or chicon. It is high in fiber, iron and potassium. Curly endive, or frisée has narrow, green, curly outer leaves. Sometimes called chicory in the United States and is called chicorée frisée in France. Escarole, or broad-leaved endive has broad, pale green leaves and is less bitter than the other varieties.

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