South Africa has become the largest producer of chicory root in the world as of 2022!
Cichorium intybus is an invasive weed that normally grows in open fields, disturbed areas, bare land, ditches, along cultivated fields and roadsides. It prefers full sun and well-drained soil and is also drought resistant.
This species is originally from Europe and northern parts of Africa, but is now widespread in South Africa and other temperate or semi-arid regions of the world. [https://pza.sanbi.org/cichorium-intybus]
Roughly $1227/ton of chicory generates about $24,540,000 in South Africa however majority of this is purchased by local coffee companies.
CONSERVATION STATUS:
Cichorium intybus is a naturalized weed in South Africa and is not assessed in the National Red List of South African plants.
Although all parts of a chicory plant are very bitter, the whole plant is edible. Plants are cultivated or harvested in the wild and often also grown as an ornamental.
Chicory has been cultivated since ancient times, as far back as 300 BC. Some of the earliest references to chicory eaten as a vegetable, was by Horas (a Roman lyric poet) who lived around 65–8 BC. The bitterness of the plant is reduced by cooking it and discarding the water. It can then be used as a leaf herb cooked with food or shredded in salads and served with oil and vinegar.
The best known use of chicory root is as a coffee substitute. It started in 1766, when Fredrich the Great banned the importation of coffee to Prussia, which lead to a large industry in Brunswick and Berlin, to produce chicory. During times of war when coffee was scarce, chicory was mostly used.
Chicory production in South Africa: The production growth
With a production slow-down due to inferior imported chicory root the industry has seen a decline of commercial farmers by 50% over the last few years output has remained almost unaffected.
A global decline in consumption does seem to be hampering growth of this industry in South Africa too. Nestle and other coffee makers through Chicory SA use a lot of the root for caffeine-free and caffeine substitute products.
Chicory also makes for excellent fodder for animals as it is toxic to internal pests.
The blue flowers can make a clothing dye, producing a variety of yellows and greens.
