And it is called as cornflower that name is properly applied to the Centaurea cyanus. Cultivated forms of chicory are grown for the leaves, or roots that are, ground, baked, used as coffee additive and substitute. Foliosum include radicchio, Belgian, endive, French endive, sugarloaf, red endive or wiltloof.

It is common name in US for the curly endive, and there is a considerable confusion between the Cichorium and Cichorium intybus. It many are gown for the leaves it produces, eaten raw as salad, and generally divided into three types. Radicchio has usually variegated red or green leaves, and only refers to white-veined red or green leaves, and only refers to white-veined red types as a radicchio. It has bitter as well as spicy taste that mellow when roasted or grilled. It can be used to add zest and color salads. Witlof andive is known as the French endive. It is grown underground or in absence of the sunlight in order to prevent leaves from it turning to green and the opening up.

Root chicory has been cultivating in Europe as coffee substitute. Roots are ground, baked, and uses as coffee substitute as well as additive, in Mediterranean region especially, its use as coffee additive is very popular in India, and other parts the Southeast Asia and America South, in New Orleans particularly. Around 1970, chicory was found that root contain up to 20% of inulin, polysaccharide that is similar to starch. It is used as sweetener in food industry, and is added sometimes to the yogurts as prebiotic. Chicory sugar beet and rye was also as ingredient of East German of East German Mischkaffee, introduced during coffee crisis.