The chicory
A flagship product that is sensitive to the light and sandy soils of the maritime plains, chicory root can be found in liquid form, in grains, ground but also in infusion. Almost all the production in France is concentrated in the Hauts-de-France region.
This is part of our roots
When you think that before becoming these caramel-hazelnut flavoured seeds, it was a large white parsnip, you think that there is something magical in the making of chicory. In our region, the one called the Bride of the Sun has been growing for over two hundred years. Mainly on the coastal plains of the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, in the Valenciennois and in the Cambrésis. Chicory owes its success to Napoleon 1st. Thanks to the continental blockade imposed on Perfidious Albion by the Emperor in 1806, it supplanted coffee, which had become almost impossible to find. From then on, chicory was no longer used as a decoction but roasted.
The art of roasting, chico… corico !!!
As far as chicory is concerned, Hauts-de-France is the undisputed leader. It is cultivated, dried and above all, the “cossettes” are roasted according to ancestral methods. It is during this last step that the juices caramelize to exhale the aromas. When we talk about chicory, two names come to mind : Leroux in Orchies (Nord) and Lutun/Chicorée du Nord in Oye-Plage (Pas-de-Calais). The first one alone represents 96% of the national production. As for the latter, it can pride itself on being the last artisanal roasting company in France. In both cases, their products (soluble, granulated, ground and now infused) are found on every breakfast table in the world !
