Frisée/Escarole
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Origin: Italy
The salad plants known as frisée and escarole are two varieties of the same plant: the endive, whose scientific name is Cichorium endivia (in the same family as chicory, radicchio, sugarloaf and Trevisana).
The curly leaves are eaten exclusively as salads, while the broad-leaved varieties (like escarole) are also cooked in a number of traditional ways, particularly in southern Italy.
CURIOSITY
To keep the leaves white, the heads of endive are tightly tied to minimise exposure to light. The darkness determines the lack of chlorophyll, making the leaves pale and extremely tender.
