Chicons au gratin is a signature dish of France; we have verified places to eat it in Lille. Belgian endives braised until bitter-sweet, wrapped in ham, laid in bechamel and baked under cheese until the top blisters. Start with where to eat Chicons au gratin in Lille.
Chicons au gratin · Lille
Belgian endives braised until bitter-sweet, wrapped in ham, laid in bechamel and baked under cheese until the top blisters. Called chicons here, never endives.
The endive is the winter vegetable of the Nord, grown in the dark so it stays pale and tight. Lille calls it a chicon, and the gratin is what the region does with it: braised, wrapped in ham, buried in bechamel and finished with cheese. Maroilles turns up in place of gruyere in the estaminets, which makes the dish considerably more assertive. It is a household dish before it is a restaurant one, and it sits on the estaminet card in Lille all winter alongside carbonade.
Where to eat in Lille:
- Chez Raoul Estaminet
- Estaminet Au Vieux de la Vieille
Where to eat Chicons au gratin in Lille: the editor picks