Within the realm of culinary delights, there exists a leafy vegetation that is utilized both in salads and as a vegetable. This plant, commonly referred to as French or Belgian endive, Witloof chicory, or simply endive, is grown in total darkness and subsequently generates a pale-green or creamy white, tapering, closely packed head, primarily utilized as a cooked vegetable. When grown in an open space, the same plant takes on the monikers escarole or Batavian endive, and possesses broad, flat leaves with a much darker hue and tips that curl inwards. The dark-green salad plant with slightly curly leaves that is frequently referred to as curly endive is, in actuality, a type of chicory, albeit one that is different from, yet closely related to the aforementioned varieties.
The plant called endive has many varieties, but in the United States, the name usually refers to one of the curly-leaved types that resembles lettuce but has stronger and tougher leaves with a more bitter flavor. The curly endive has narrow, spiky leaves and is sometimes mistakenly called chicory. Another variety with flat, broad leaves is known as escarole. Belgian endive is also a type of chicory.