Wild Chicory with Caramelized Onions (Hindbeh bil Zeit)
Bitter wild chicory greens, boiled to tame their edge, then braised with slow-cooked golden onions and finished with a drizzle of good olive oil and lemon. A humble Lebanese countryside dish that turns bitter into something deeply comforting.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Clean the greens
Trim the tough stem ends from the chicory (or dandelion greens) and wash the leaves in several changes of cold water, since wild greens often hide grit near the root. Roughly chop into 5 cm pieces.
- 1 kg wild chicory or dandelion greens
✅ Done when: the leaves are free of grit and chopped into pieces
Boil to tame the bitterness
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tsp salt. Add the greens and boil for 8–10 minutes until tender; this first boil pulls out most of the raw bitterness that wild chicory is known for. Drain well, and once cool enough to handle, squeeze the greens firmly with your hands to remove as much water as possible.
- 1 kg chicory (from step 1)
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the greens are tender, drained, and squeezed dry
Caramelize the onions
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Set aside a topping
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Combine greens and onions
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Serve the dish
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Clean the greens
Trim the tough stem ends from the chicory (or dandelion greens) and wash the leaves in several changes of cold water, since wild greens often hide grit near the root. Roughly chop into 5 cm pieces.
- 1 kg wild chicory or dandelion greens
✅ Done when: the leaves are free of grit and chopped into pieces
Boil to tame the bitterness
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with 1 tsp salt. Add the greens and boil for 8–10 minutes until tender; this first boil pulls out most of the raw bitterness that wild chicory is known for. Drain well, and once cool enough to handle, squeeze the greens firmly with your hands to remove as much water as possible.
- 1 kg chicory (from step 1)
- 1 tsp salt
✅ Done when: the greens are tender, drained, and squeezed dry
Caramelize the onions
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Set aside a topping
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Combine greens and onions
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Serve the dish
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The Story Behind the Dish
Hindbeh bil zeit comes from a long tradition of foraging in the Lebanese hills, where wild chicory and dandelion greens push up through rocky ground in late winter and spring. Families would gather the bitter leaves, boil them to soften their edge, and turn them into something satisfying with little more than onions and olive oil.
Because it uses no meat or dairy, it became a staple during religious fasting periods and Lenten meals, and it remains a dish closely tied to home kitchens rather than restaurant menus — the kind of recipe passed from a grandmother's hands rather than a cookbook.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It is loved for the contrast at its heart: deeply bitter greens softened by patiently caramelized, sugar-sweet onions, finished with good olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. It's humble, deeply flavorful, and a favorite meze or side on any Lebanese table.
💡 Fun Fact
Wild chicory is also valued in Lebanese folk tradition as a digestive tonic, and foraging for hindbeh in spring is still a seasonal ritual in many villages.
Mount Lebanon and the Lebanese countryside
33.85°N, 35.86°E
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