Radicchio — the vibrant veggie that brings bold color and bitterness to cold-weather meals.
My favorite part about radicchio used to be its appearance. Color, to be exact — the bright red-purples and pinks at the farmers market pop out in a muted sea of beige and green winter blandness. Radicchio’s bitterness wasn’t for me… until I learned how to pair it properly. And cook it.
Think of radicchio as the veggie it is and treat it like one – rather than a lettuce – in the kitchen.
What is Radicchio
Radicchio is a colorful, leafy vegetable in the chicory family. Chicories are an herbaceous group of plants that also include Belgian endive, frisée, and escarole.
All radicchios are chicories; not all chicories are radicchio.
Radicchio is native to northern Italy. Cultivation began in the 15th century, while the modern varieties we know today were developed in the 19th century. Radicchio varieties are primarily named after the towns or regions in northern Italy where they originated and have been cultivated for centuries. Varieties such as Chioggia, Treviso, and Castelfranco are hyper-regional types developed by local farmers.
Radicchio arrived in the United States in the 20th century.
There different radicchio varieties vary in: bitterness levels, size, color, and shape (round or elongated head).
Colors of Radicchio: Radicchio leaves range from deep red-purple to pale pink, creamy yellow, and light green.
Radicchio is a quintessential cool-weather crop, thriving in colder months when its leaves develop their signature color and pleasantly bitter flavor.
Cooking with Radicchio
Radicchio’s distinctive bitter taste mellows with cooking. Commonly mistaken for a relative of lettuce, they’re actually not related. Think of radicchio as a veggie in the kitchen — meaning don’t forget that you can cook it.
The iconic Insalata di Radicchio e Arance (Radicchio and Orange Salad) pairs bitter radicchio with sweet, juicy oranges — a vibrant winter salad that balances bitter, sweet, and tart flavors. I pair winter radicchio with blood oranges in my version you can try here.
Raw — treat it like the lettuce it is not. Thinly slice and add to salads for a hint of spicy bitterness. Pair its bitterness with rich, sweeter ingredients to balance the flavor, such as citrus, nuts, and cheese.
Cooked — treat it like the veggie it is. Cooking mellows the bitterness. Sauté, roast, broil, grill, make radicchio confit and more. Anything you can do to a veggie, you can do to radicchio. A little char does wonders.
Check out the radicchio dishes below — hope they inspire you to play with this vibrant winter veggie.
Want Radicchio Recipes?
Sharing my recipes for this vibrant leafy veg below.
- Blood Orange & Radicchio Salad – This vibrant winter salad pairs sweet blood oranges with bitter radicchio, crisp fennel, crunchy pistachios, and fresh herbs.
- Persimmon Radicchio Salad with Burrata – A vibrant fall salad that pairs sweet persimmons with bitter radicchio, creamy burrata, crunchy spiced pecans, and a maple vinaigrette.
- Radicchio Tahini Caesar – a vegan, tahini, radicchio twist on the classic Caesar salad.
If you spot radichio, bring it home and play. And I’d love to see — tag me on Instagram, @danielagerson, so I can see your ravishing radicchio creations.
There’s a whole wide world of colorful fruits and vegetables out there, and I hope this post inspires you to play with more of them in the kitchen.
Let’s make waves in the kitchen.
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