Definition

1. Noun:
   • Chicory: A plant (Cichorium intybus) with bright blue flowers, whose leaves are sometimes used in salads and whose root can be roasted and used as a coffee substitute or additive.
   • Curly endive: In some contexts, particularly in culinary use, "diếp xoăn" can refer to a type of leafy green vegetable with curly, frilly leaves, often used in salads.

Usage Examples

• Noun:
  • Món salad này có rau diếp xoăn rất tươi. (This salad has very fresh chicory/curly endive.)
  • Rễ của cây diếp xoăn đôi khi được dùng để pha cà phê. (The root of the chicory plant is sometimes used to make coffee.)
  • Cô ấy thích vị đắng nhẹ của diếp xoăn trong món ăn. (She likes the slight bitterness of chicory in dishes.)

Advanced Usage

• "rau diếp xoăn": This is a common compound phrase meaning "chicory greens" or "curly endive," specifying it as a vegetable.
  • Tôi cần mua rau diếp xoăn để làm salad. (I need to buy chicory/curly endive to make a salad.)

Variants and Related Words

• Cải xoăn (n): Kale. A different leafy green vegetable, often confused due to the shared word "xoăn" (curly).
• Diếp cá (n): Fish mint. A different herb with a distinct flavor, sharing the word "diếp."
• Chicory (n): The direct English equivalent, often used in botanical and culinary contexts.
• Endive (n): A related leafy vegetable; "curly endive" is a close translation for the salad green meaning.

Synonyms

• Chicorée (n): The French term, as seen in the reference dictionary.
• Curly chicory: A descriptive English synonym.
• Frisée: A culinary term for a type of curly endive.

Related Phrases

• Cà phê diếp xoăn: Chicory coffee.
  • Ở một số vùng, người ta uống cà phê pha với diếp xoăn. (In some regions, people drink coffee blended with chicory.)

Notes on Meaning

The word "diếp xoăn" primarily refers to the chicory plant. However, in everyday Vietnamese, especially in markets and kitchens, it is most commonly understood as the curly-leafed salad green (Frisée or curly endive). The botanical reference to the plant whose root is used for coffee is a more specific, technical meaning. The core idea is a curly ("xoăn") leafy plant/vegetable related to the "diếp" (lettuce/endive) family.

1. (thực vật) Chicory