Chicory Coffee
A hot, bitter drink, a blend of coffee and roasted chicory root, typical of 19th-century French tables. Robust, economical, and much less stimulating than pure coffee.
A hot, bitter drink, a blend of coffee and roasted chicory root, typical of 19th-century French tables. Robust, economical, and much less stimulating than pure coffee.
I have never been a man of good cheer, and you would more often find me at my work table than at the dinner table. But coffee — there is my ally! In those days, we blended it with roasted chicory, that root which is ground and steeped in boiling water: it yields a black, bitter drink that keeps the mind alert without overexciting it. A cup in the morning, and one could face the sessions at the Palais Bourbon until evening.
- •Ground coffee — two measures (aromatic base)
- •Roasted and ground chicory root — one measure (bitterness and body)
- •Boiling water — according to number of cups (infusion)
- •Milk or sugar — to taste (to sweeten)
Chicory Coffee
A hot, bitter drink, a blend of coffee and roasted chicory root, typical of 19th-century French tables. Robust, economical, and much less stimulating than pure coffee.
Why this dish? In bourgeois and provincial France of the 19th century, coffee was cut with roasted chicory root, as much for economy as for taste. For an indefatigable worker like Ferry, who devoted his energy to the ministry far more than to the table, this bitter, robust coffee was the companion of long workdays.
I have never been a man of good cheer, and you would more often find me at my work table than at the dinner table. But coffee — there is my ally! In those days, we blended it with roasted chicory, that root which is ground and steeped in boiling water: it yields a black, bitter drink that keeps the mind alert without overexciting it. A cup in the morning, and one could face the sessions at the Palais Bourbon until evening.
Ingredients (period version)
- Ground coffee — two measures (aromatic base)
- Roasted and ground chicory root — one measure (bitterness and body)
- Boiling water — according to number of cups (infusion)
- Milk or sugar — to taste (to sweeten)
Ingredients
- Ground coffee — 2 tablespoons (aromatic base)
- Instant or roasted chicory — 1 teaspoon (bitterness and body)
- Simmering water — 50 cl (infusion)
- Warm milk and sugar — to taste (to sweeten)
Method
- Mix the ground coffee and chicory.
- Brew the mixture with simmering water (using a filter, French press, or percolator).
- Let steep a few minutes to extract body and bitterness.
- Serve very hot, black or with warm milk and a little sugar.
How it was made : Roasted chicory became widespread in France during the 19th century, especially in the North and East, as an inexpensive additive or substitute for coffee. The root was cultivated, dried, roasted, and ground. Mixed with coffee, it gave a fuller-bodied, cheaper beverage — a standard in modest and bourgeois households.
The contemporary twist : Serve it iced in summer, topped with a little frothed milk and a cloud of foam, Viennese-coffee style.
Jules Ferry · Charactorium
