It is widely used as a substitute for coffee or a coffee addictive as it balances its flavour and reduces its acidity. It is actually a perennial plant with purple-blue flowers. Its leaves are popular as salad greens and its long thick tap root is dried, cut and brewed for use in coffee or as a beverage by itself.

It adds aroma to the coffee blend and makes it thicker. It is caffeine-free and said to have health benefits. It cleanses the blood and kills bacteria in the liver and digestive tract.

It has been in use from the Middle Ages when Egyptians, Romans and Greeks used it as a herbal drink.

However, the tasty modern brew was developed by the French who found it was a good substitute for coffee which was scarce at the time.

 

Picture Credit : Google