Did you know so much about Chicory?

Chicory. The very word reminds us of coffee. Well, we South Indians, have mostly known it as the additive to pure coffee to make it more bitter. There is so much more to it than just that 10-30% addition to the daily morning brew.

Check this article that appeared on the Hindu today. The Hindu : Metro Plus Bangalore / Health : More than a coffee blend


I recently had the opportunity to drive through Sakleshpur and Balehonnur in Karnataka. These places are vast coffee plantations. Sakleshpur was labelled as God's gift to Coffee. When you go through these parts of the country, you would not wonder why it is called so. Every square inch of the land has been cultivated as a Coffee Plantation.

Alongside coffee, pepper, cardamom and arecanut ("paakku" in tamil) are also grown.


Coffee blossoms are white in colour. I did not get to see the blossoms. The berries then appear on the branches of the tree. Greenish in colour at the beginning, they become yellower and then finally become reddish. They are harvested when they become a dark shade of maroon.


After harvesting they go through an elaborate process - which is really out of scope of this post. :-)