The Extra Ingredient That Makes New Orleans' Cafe Noir Unique

When it comes to finding a great food destination in the United States, it's hard to beat New Orleans. Not only has this southern town been influenced by great food cultures like French, Spanish, and Cajun, but it has also become a true melting pot that has created a unique food culture of its own.

As the Washington Post points out, New Orleans is a city of indulgence, style, and contradictions. All of this is fantastically translated into its food. Dishes like gumbo, jambalaya, po'boys, and beignets are just a few of the great offerings available in The Big Easy.

Devour Tours adds that even more recent innovations have continued to expand on this list. The Mississippi Delta region became a popular destination for Vietnamese fleeing the war in the early 1970s, and they have since made their own culinary impact on New Orleans.

Any proper visit to New Orleans is incomplete, though, without a steaming hot cup of Cafe Noir (black coffee) with its unique local ingredient.

Any proper New Orleans reveler knows that the essential hangover cure for the next morning is a cup of chicory coffee. According to Smithsonian Magazine, over the years adding the roasted root of a chicory plant to coffee has mostly come in and out of fashion across the globe due to necessity. In New Orleans, though, it's become a well-loved tradition.

Orleans Coffee claims that the chicory plant is a cousin of the dandelion. Since its earliest point of cultivation in ancient Egypt, it has primarily been used for animal feed, though some cultures have also used it to feed their human population.

Smithsonian Magazine claims that the earliest examples of using chicory root in coffee — or as a replacement for it — didn't come up until the 19th century. The most well-documented cases were in France during Napoleon's trade blockades. This made obtaining coffee more difficult for the French, so roasted chicory root was added to bolster the flavor.

Chicory was used to this effect again during the American Civil War when blockades prevented supplies from reaching New Orleans. Then, chicory became a common addition to coffee to make up for shortages, and it eventually stuck around due to a local fondness for the drink.

One of the most well-known sources of chicory coffee is the famous Café Du Monde, where you can still enjoy a cafe noir or "au lait" with steamed milk alongside a fresh plate of beignets.

Southern Living says that coffee and chicory are a natural pairing because the two have complementary flavors. Eaten raw, chicory root is bitter and undesirable, but once it's been roasted, it takes on a chocolatey, nutty flavor that pairs well with a dark roast coffee.

Healthline adds that this complementary flavor makes drinking pure chicory root a caffeine-free coffee alternative. Adding chicory to coffee also boosts the drink's healthful properties, and it contains a prebiotic fiber known as inulin that has been known to aid digestion. There's also evidence that drinking chicory may be linked to decreased inflammation and lower blood sugar.

If you want to start every day like you're living in New Orleans, then coffee with chicory is one of the easiest ways. Pairing it with a pile of sugar-dusted beignets would be a serious improvement, but it's probably easiest to start with the coffee for now.