For a long time, chicory was my personal boss: While fresh it crackles nicely in the mouth, it tastes bitter and leaves a stale aftertaste. When cooked, it becomes limp and often equals the sole of a rubber shoe. My mother finishes him off by tying him up in boiled ham, drowning him in béchamel sauce and baking him with strong cheese at such a high temperature that the buds don't taste much of their own. Can this vegetable even be tasty? And whether.

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