Belgian endive

noun

: the developing crown of chicory when blanched for use as a vegetable or in salads by growing in darkness or semidarkness

called also endive, witloof

Examples of Belgian endive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There’s also a divine course of shredded Belgian endive served atop a swirling spinach and hibiscus sauce. —Chrissie McClatchie, Travel + Leisure, 21 Feb. 2025

It’s smartly plated with a Belgian endive salad lightly dressed in a fresh herb pistou, which balanced the richness of the tart with a bright crispness, a ping-pong of flavor that was a dream way to kick off an exceptional dinner all around. —Rachel Bernhard, Journal Sentinel, 3 Sep. 2024

Other options include Belgian endive, butterhead, Little Gem (such as Red Gem, Green Gem, red oak leaves, green oak leaves, Red Tango, Green Tango), or radicchio. —Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 June 2024

Parmesan cheese, shredded (about 3/4 cup), divided Crackers and Belgian endive leaves, for serving Directions Prepare oven and baking dish: Preheat oven to 350°F. —Karen Schroeder-Rankin, Southern Living, 30 Dec. 2023

While chicory is also cultivated in the form of Belgian endive (the blanched, milky yellow root first harvested in Brussels in the 19th century) and puntarelle (spiny stalks famously beloved by Romans), radicchio is by far its most dramatic incarnation. —Zoey Poll Kyoko Hamada, New York Times, 18 Oct. 2023

For this menu, curly endive, also known as frisée, fits the bill nicely, alone or in combination with its colorful cousins, Belgian endive, Chioggia, Treviso or speckled Castelfranco radicchio. —David Tanis, New York Times, 31 Jan. 2022

Radicchio, moving beyond its beauty and onto its identity, is a leafy chicory (as is pale Belgian endive and spiky, beguiling Catalonian puntarelle) and, fun fact to squirrel away for a future trivia game, a member of the Asteraceae family (a.k.a. the sunflower/daisy/aster family). —Sarah Jampel, Bon Appétit, 1 Nov. 2021

Crisp and pleasantly bitter, elegant ovals of Belgian endive are the perfect vessel for a herby goat-cheese filling. —Beth Segal, cleveland, 16 June 2020

Word History

First Known Use

1894, in the meaning defined above