radicchio

Etymology

Borrowed from Italian radicchio.

noun

1. A cultivar of chicory (Cichorium intybus var. foliosum) with red leaves and a slightly bitter taste, eaten as a salad vegetable or grilled.
   In memory, all the food they brought us first was red: the bresaola, the fat tongues of roasted peppers laid on goat's cheese, the radicchio, the white china bowl of radish coronets. 1997, Ian McEwan, Enduring Love, Vintage, published 1998, page 163
   Radicchio is a savory green that adds sharpness and substance to salads and side dishes. 2012, Marie Iannotti, The Beginner's Guide to Growing Heirloom Vegetables, Timber Press, page 190