flipMorning Chicory
Morning Chicory
Why this dish? With real coffee almost gone during the Occupation, the French — including Aragon — turned to roasted chicory. This bitter drink warmed the nights of clandestine writing from which the poems of the Resistance were born.
A hot drink made from roasted chicory roots, dark and bitter, diluted with a little milk. The emblematic substitute of the dark years, which became a familiar and comforting taste.
Coffee? What a sweet illusion! We drank chicory, black and bitter, and by its light I blackened so many pages in hiding. You brew it strong, add a splash of milk if you have any, and grip the cup between your frozen hands. That bitterness, you see, tasted of stubborn hope.
- •Roasted and ground chicory roots — a spoonful (base)
- •Boiling water — a bowl (infusion)
- •Milk — if available (softener)
Morning Chicory
A hot drink made from roasted chicory roots, dark and bitter, diluted with a little milk. The emblematic substitute of the dark years, which became a familiar and comforting taste.
Why this dish? With real coffee almost gone during the Occupation, the French — including Aragon — turned to roasted chicory. This bitter drink warmed the nights of clandestine writing from which the poems of the Resistance were born.
Coffee? What a sweet illusion! We drank chicory, black and bitter, and by its light I blackened so many pages in hiding. You brew it strong, add a splash of milk if you have any, and grip the cup between your frozen hands. That bitterness, you see, tasted of stubborn hope.
Ingredients (period version)
- Roasted and ground chicory roots — a spoonful (base)
- Boiling water — a bowl (infusion)
- Milk — if available (softener)
Ingredients
- Instant chicory (or roasted root) — 2 tsp (base)
- Boiling water — 250 ml (infusion)
- Milk — a splash, to taste (softener)
- Sugar or honey — optional (sweetener)
Method
- Heat the water until it simmers.
- Dissolve the chicory in the cup with a little water, then top up with the rest.
- Add a splash of hot milk to soften the bitterness, and sweeten if desired.
- Drink very hot, ideally upon waking or during a long vigil.
How it was made : Chicory was made from the root of the plant, dried then roasted and ground. Cheap and cultivable in France (notably in the North), it massively replaced unavailable coffee during both wars and long remained a familiar taste of French breakfasts.
The contemporary twist : A frothy chicory latte with plant milk — the war substitute promoted as a trendy coffee-shop drink, caffeine-free.
Louis Aragon · Charactorium
