Italian spadona chicory, also called sword chicory or spadona da taglio in Italian, is a popular, bitter-tasting, but very nutritious salad variety. It’s typically cut into thin strips and seasoned very simple manner with extra virgin olive oil, salt, and vinegar – often balsamic, which is naturally sweeter than other types of vinegar.
In Italy, you’ll more often than not find sword chicory in the pre-packaged salad aisle in supermarkets. It’s usually labelled cicoria or cicorino.
Italian spadona (sword) chicory is botanically classified as Cichorium intybus and the word spadona comes from the name of a medieval Spanish sword.
Spadona chicory is a good source of vitamins B, C, and K. It also contains potassium, choline, inulin, and small amounts of calcium, iron and magnesium.
Spadona (sword) chicory is known as cicoria da taglio, meaning “cutting variety” in Italian. Other varieties of chicory are harvested by the head, whereas spadona chicory has lengthy, loose leaves that are harvested individually. When you cut the leaves from near the base of the plant, new leaves quickly regrow. So you can actually harvest this variety of chicory from spring until well into the autumn. It’s also very easy to cultivate, needing no special care or attention.
It’s best to harvest the leaves when they are young and tender, and less bitter. Mature leaves will have a stronger flavour. Spadona chicory is very popular in Italy, particularly among home growers. The leaves in the photo below are from my garden.
How to prepare Italian spadona chicory
Wash the leaves and shake off the excess water or pat them dry. Alternatively, you could use a salad spinner if you have one. Lay the leaves out flat, piled on top of each other. Cut the chicory leaves into thin strips, discarding any coarse stems.
How to serve Italian chicory
Put the chicory strips in a bowl and season them to your liking. Most Italians use a simple dressing of extra virgin olive oil, salt and a little vinegar. Balsamic vinegar is a popular choice because it has a milder, sweeter flavour which balances out the bitterness of the chicory. People also add chicory to milder, sweeter lettuce varieties.
Serve it as a side salad or as part of a larger mixed salad. You could add avocado or tomatoes or grated carrots, for example.
How to store Italian spadona chicory
Once you have seasoned your chicory, it won’t keep long – it goes limp quickly, so don’t season it until you’re ready to eat it.
You can store shop-bought chopped chicory in the fridge for a couple of days. Whole leaves will keep for longer. After rinsing, shake off any excess water and store them in an airtight container in the fridge, where they’ll keep for 4 to 5 days if freshly harvested.
While you’re here on Vegan Hot Stuff, maybe you’d like to take a look at some other popular recipes…
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