The most common lettuce variety, as we’ve seen, is iceberg, which was first developed and sold by Burpee Seed Co. Of these four types, you can further differentiate by color, with green leaf and red/purple leaf varieties in each of the four main categories. There are four main types of lettuce grown commercially today: cos/romaine, loose-leaf, crisphead, and butterhead. The Romans also loved their lettuce the name lactuca comes from the word lac, meaning milk, and refers to the milky sap that flowed from the base of the plant into its leaves. Over time, they developed varieties that provided nutritious and tasty leaves as well. Originally, lettuce was cultivated by ancient Egyptians, who valued the seeds for the oil they contained. Lettuce or Lactuca sativa is part of the Asteraceae family of plants, along with daisies and sunflowers. In this article, we’ll look at what science says about why lettuce is good for you, explore how best to store it, and share a few recipes (salad and non-salad alike) for you to try. Overlooked and undervalued for too long, lettuce actually has a lot to offer us in terms of nutrition and health benefits. Wherever you stand in the great lettuce debate, it’s time to give this leafy green its due. And as production spreads to more communities, consumers are now able to enjoy many varieties other than iceberg lettuce. In fact, as of 2015, McDonald’s was the world’s largest buyer of iceberg lettuce.Įconomically, lettuce is one of the world’s most significant leafy vegetable crops. It’s cheaper to grow than the others and is an indispensable ingredient in many fast food meals. Still, more iceberg is grown in California than all other varieties combined.

But these days, other varieties like butterhead, romaine, and leaf types compete for “plate share.” And many chefs turn down their noses at the pale, crunchy iceberg.

In fact, iceberg lettuce was the first fresh produce item, other than root vegetables, that Americans were able to buy year-round in grocery stores.įor decades, iceberg dominated the lettuce market. It’s one of the few vegetables that’s routinely eaten raw, providing much-needed fiber and water, as well as various micronutrients. Even people eating the modern industrialized diet so often depicted in films get their share of lettuce. In the real world, of course, many people love their salads a good one can be a tasty, crunchy way of getting lots of veggies, especially leafy greens. And the rabbity-est lettuce of all, iceberg, is doubly damned as not only being tasteless but also devoid of nutrition. It’s often seen as “rabbit food” (which, technically, I suppose it is most herbivores would be thrilled to gain access to my spring garden). So if salads are visual shorthand for a diminished life, then there’s one ingredient that does the heavy lifting for that metaphor: lettuce. The not-so-subtle message, which drives Julie’s redemption arc in the film, is that eating rich food with lots of butter (note: not salad) is part of the path to fulfillment. Their conversation is cold, condescending, and clinical, as they’re all too busy climbing their career ladders to appreciate life’s pleasures. Have you ever noticed in TV and movies how eating a healthy salad is often a visual metaphor for a character’s lack of joy or vitality? The “ Cobb Salad Lunch Scene” in Julie and Julia, for example, shows a table of professional women in their early 30s dining in Manhattan, each ordering a Cobb salad. But should we reconsider our tepid view of lettuce? Might it turn out to be a nutritional powerhouse after all? And are there ways to enjoy it that don’t just involve salad dressing? Sure, it makes up the bulk of “ordinary” salads, and iceberg accompanies fast food meals - but in terms of raw nutritional value, we tend to think of it as a sideshow. Sign Up Today For the Food Revolution Summit Docuseries We are proud to announce a new partnership with John and Ocean Robbins and the Food Revolution to bring our readers Summits, Seminars and Masterclasses on health, nutrition and Earth- Conscious living.

By Ocean Robbins: Most of us don’t think of lettuce as a super-nutritious food.

Romaine vs iceberg lettuce taste