ENDIVE.
Pliny assures us that the juice of this plant, mixed with vinegar and oil of roses, is an excellent remedy for the head-ache;[IX_137] we leave to the proper judges a pharmaceutical mixture which does not belong to our province, and which we only quote en passant.
Virgil thought endive bitter,[IX_138] but he did not speak ill of it. Columella recommended this salad to fastidious and satiated palates;[IX_139] this is praising it. The Egyptians appreciated its merits,[IX_140] which the Greeks had too much sense and good taste to disdain; and the Romans ate it prepared in the following manner:—
Choose some fine endive; wash it well; drain off all the water; add a little gravy and oil; then chop some onions very small; strew them over the endive, and add honey and vinegar.[IX_141]
It is understood that the sweet savour of the honey corrects the bitterness of the plant; but a judicious attention must preside over the quantity of that substance, for too much or too little might easily spoil this salad of Apicius.