Coffee with Chicory is a Delectable Treat with Roots in History

For the coffee connoisseur, roasts from Jamaica, Ethiopia, Columbia, Indonesia and host of other far-flung places around the globe may be considered the height of culinary excellence. There remains, however, a simple coffee additive that makes ordinary coffee something special. Chicory, alternately referred to as "blue sailors," "succory," "cornflower" and, appropriate, "coffeeweed," has been used for centuries as a coffee substitute and additive, but is largely ignored by modern-day coffee drinkers in the U.S. One exception to that rule, however, is in the American South, particularly in New Orleans, where the tradition of adding chicory to fine coffees has lived on.

The story of just how chicory came to be used as a coffee additive in the U.S. Southern states, however, is a lesson in history. During the American Civil War, the newly-formed Confederate States of America were long on agricultural products but short on manufactured goods and certain "exotic" agricultural and other goods that were grown or made overseas and brought into the U.S. and Confederate States via various ports. With southern ports like New Orleans, Mobile, Charleston and many others closed off by Union naval vessels, coffee became one of the many "necessities" that the southern populace - including soldiers - lacked. Ironically, coffee itself first made its way into the U.S. via the port of New Orleans, where the French brought it into the country. The French also brought chicory with them, having found it to be a good substitute and additive to coffee during their revolution in the late 19th Century, during which time coffee was incredibly scarce.

In response to the shortage in the Confederate States, southern army troops began making coffee from a variety of substitutes, including chicory, which had previously been used only to add flavor to coffee. Other substitutes included acorns, corn and any other material that could be ground and made into a hot drink. The result was likely a less-than-palatable beverage that would be offensive to the tongue of the modern coffee drinker, not to mention a connoisseur. Chicory itself tends to have a bitter, strong, flavor, but when it is added to coffee in the proper amounts, can add a robustness that is not often found in coffee itself. This is true to such an extent that certain beer makers also add chicory to their stouts to add flavor.

After the war, those in the South and, again, particularly New Orleans, continued to use chicory in varying amounts in their coffee as a means of extending their limited stores of coffee beans. Even after relative prosperity returned to the South, however, chicory was still used as an additive, but now in proportions that change modified beverages from foul-tasting concoctions to tasty, gourmet versions. Fine French restaurants in New Orleans and elsewhere in Louisiana still add chicory to coffee, producing an enviable blend that perfectly suits rich French foods.

For those wondering just where to get coffee with chicory, it is often unavailable in stores outside the Southern U.S. One can order chicory online, however, and add it to coffee to their specific tastes, or order coffee with chicory already added online. Community Coffee, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and online, is one outlet for chicory-infused coffee and perhaps among the most notable outlets of coffee with chicory remains the Caf du Monde, which is located on Decatur Street in New Orleans' Jackson Square. For those who have never tasted what is considered a delicacy by many, coffee with chicory is definitely worth trying.