Where did lettuce originate from?
Where did lettuce originate from? Lettuce has been traced back to a native weed that was cultivated in Egypt for the oil gained from the seeds. By 2680BC it was being selectively bred to create a leafy plant with edible leaves. Lettuce was linked with the Egyptian god Min.
What is the origin of lettuce?
What is the origin of lettuce? Lettuce was first cultivated in ancient Egypt for the production of oil from its seeds. This plant was probably selectively bred by the Egyptians into a plant grown for its edible leaves, with evidence of its cultivation appearing as early as 2680 BC. Click to see full answer.
What are the benefits of eating lettuce?
Uses of Romaine Lettuce
- It can be juiced to produce a nutrient-rich drink, and can also be added to soups and other hot dishes. [12]
- Unlike many forms of lettuce, Romaine is notably resistant to heat and doesn’t become overly soggy or limp. ...
- Romaine lettuce is also used in taco salad, Cobb salad, and avocado salad wraps.
What is the best type of lettuce?
This Is the Best Lettuce to Buy at the Grocery Store
- Whole heads are cheaper. ...
- Bagged and boxed lettuces aren't necessarily cleaner. ...
- Whole heads are the "greener" choice. ...
- They may even be healthier. ...
- The farmers' market exception. ...
- And if you're going to buy lettuce in plastic... ...
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Where is lettuce found in the world?
Lettuce is grown on all continents, but the greatest consumers and producers are the USA (91 000 hectares, of which 60 000 ha are in California) and Europe (total EEC area 80 000 ha).
What did lettuce originally look like?
An Ancient Green Over time, the Egyptians bred their wild-type lettuce to have leaves that were less bitter and more palatable. The cultivated plants were still tall and upright, with separate leaves rather than heads. The Greeks learned how to grow lettuce from the Egyptians.
Who invented iceberg lettuce?
Iceberg lettuce was developed from the French Crisphead lettuce, Batavia, by W. Atlee Burpee & Co. in 1894. It was originally named for its ice white color and crunchy texture, but its namesake evolved over the next half-century to reflect its icy method of shipment on the Trans Atlantic railroad.
Where did the word lettuce originate from?
Old French laituesThe word "lettuce" is probably derived from the Old French laitues (plural of laitue), meaning "milky," referring to this plant. The Latin root word lac ("milk") appears in the Latin name lactuca. The ancient Greeks called lettuce tridax; the old Persians, kahn.
Can dogs eat lettuce?
But can dogs eat lettuce? In general, yes. Lettuce of the romaine, arugula, and iceberg varieties do not contain ingredients that can really harm your dog. After all, lettuce is 90 percent water and is also a low-calorie snack that could be a good training treat for an overweight dog.
Who made the first salad?
Back in the early salad eating days (circa 1st century CE), ancient Greeks and Romans gathered and layered raw vegetables, drizzling vinegar, oil, and herbs over top to create the world's first salad.
Why do we eat lettuce?
Lettuce is a source of vitamin K, which helps strengthen bones. Consuming adequate amounts of vitamin K can also reduce your risk of bone fracture. Water makes up over 95% of raw lettuce.
What is the safest lettuce to eat?
Which salad greens are safer?full heads of lettuce are safer than cut greens, as long as you remove the outer leaves. ... hydroponically grown greens (greens not grown in soil or fields) are safer, as long as the water used to irrigate them is clean.Organic produce is a safer choice, but not free from risk.More items...•
Why is lettuce yellow in the middle?
Be sure you're not keeping the soil too moist – this will lead to root rot which produces yellow plants. Water deeply less often – let the surface of the soil go dry before watering again…a fan will also help with this.
How do British say lettuce?
Below is the UK transcription for 'lettuce': Modern IPA: lɛ́tɪs. Traditional IPA: ˈletɪs. 2 syllables: "LET" + "is"
Why is it called a head of lettuce?
The term head lettuce describes those varieties on which the leaves grow in a dense rosette. Leaf lettuce describes the varieties with leaves that branch from a single stalk in a loose bunch rather than forming a tight head.
Is lettuce a leaf or flower?
lettuce, (Lactuca sativa), annual leaf vegetable of the aster family (Asteraceae). Most lettuce varieties are eaten fresh and are commonly served as the base of green salads.
What for did Egyptians use the lettuce?
In ancient Egypt, lettuce was not considered a part of one's salad but rather, an aphrodisiac. The Egyptian god of fertility, Min, was said to have had an extreme love for lettuce. According to a text on the Edfu Temple, the lettuce was able to help Min relentlessly perform.
Did the Greeks have lettuce?
The Greeks learned how to grow lettuce from the Egyptians. They used it medicinally as a sedative and served it as a salad at the beginning of meals to help with digestion. They also continued to cultivate it for tastier leaves.
Why do they call it a head of lettuce?
The term head lettuce describes those varieties on which the leaves grow in a dense rosette. Leaf lettuce describes the varieties with leaves that branch from a single stalk in a loose bunch rather than forming a tight head.
How does lettuce grow in the wild?
Wild lettuce It is often found growing on roadsides, wood edges or on disturbed soil. This is one of the most common types of wild lettuce to find and is a native plant. It is a winter annual, which means seeds germinate in late summer or early fall and grow to bloom next year. It can grow to over 7 feet tall.
What is the history of lettuce?
The History of Lettuce. The gardens at Monticello still grow some of the cultivars mentioned in Thomas Jefferson’s notebooks. ‘Brown Dutch’ lettuce, a cultivar from Holland, was another of Jefferson’s favorites. Oakleaf lettuces add interest to the garden and table .
Where did lettuce originate?
Common lettuce, Lactuca sativa, has its origins in the Middle East. Egyptian wall murals of Min, the god of fertility, depict lettuce in cultivation in about 2700 B.C. The erect plant — similar to modern romaine, with a thick stem and milky sap — had sexual connotations.
What did the Romans do with lettuce?
Lettuce regained its association with sexual potency during its time with the Romans, who, like the Egyptians, believed it could increase stamina. They took advantage of its medicinal qualities, serving a salad before meals to stimulate digestion, and again after dinner as a sleep aid. Like their lettuce-growing precursors, Romans further developed lettuce for better-tasting leaves, and in about 77 A.D., Pliny the Elder recorded numerous cultivars in his Natural History. “The black lettuce is sown in the month of January, the white in March, and the red in April; and they are fit for transplanting … at the end of a couple of months,” he writes, adding “the purple, the crisped, the Cappadocian, and the Greek lettuce” to the list. Pliny also identifies an “inferior” lettuce with notably bitter leaves, now suspected to be chicory ( Cichorium intybus ). Fresh, young lettuce leaves were served in salads, and large, tough leaves were cooked and served with vinegar and oil.
What was the first lettuce to replace New York?
In 1941, ‘Great Lakes,’ a true iceberg lettuce, replaced ‘New York’ as America’s leading lettuce. It was bolt-resistant, productive in extreme weather conditions, and denser than crispheads before it. In 1944, ‘Great Lakes’ was the All-America Selections winner, and this iceberg is what Americans ate for decades in salads, sandwiches, and slaws.
How to keep lettuce plants cool?
Lettuce has shallow roots, so it needs daily watering. Mulch with straw to conserve water and smother competing weeds. Use shade cloth to keep lettuce cool in midsummer, and use low tunnels for protection through winter.
Where did lettuce grow?
The alternate name, “cos,” was used for the stem lettuce grown on the Greek island of Kos, a major lettuce-producing region.
When did the ISS experiment with lettuce?
In 2016, the ISS astronauts experimented with cut-and-come-again lettuce for an extended harvest period, continuing to test possibilities for growing food on space vehicles, and to improve the garden modules for better harvests.
Where did lettuce originate?
Common lettuce, Lactuca sativa, has its origins in the Middle East. Egyptian wall murals of Min, the god of fertility, depict lettuce in cultivation in about 2700 B.C. The erect plant — similar to modern romaine, with a thick stem and milky sap — had sexual connotations.
Where was lettuce grown in the 1400s?
In the 1400s, loose-heading lettuces, such as butterhead and crisphead, were being developed in Europe. Lettuce cultivation was still limited to Europe, Asia, and Africa at the beginning of the century.
What did the Romans do with lettuce?
Lettuce regained its association with sexual potency during its time with the Romans, who, like the Egyptians, believed it could increase stamina. They took advantage of its medicinal qualities, serving a salad before meals to stimulate digestion, and again after dinner as a sleep aid. Like their lettuce-growing precursors, Romans further developed lettuce for better-tasting leaves, and in about 77 A.D., Pliny the Elder recorded numerous cultivars in his Natural History. “The black lettuce is sown in the month of January, the white in March, and the red in April; and they are fit for transplanting … at the end of a couple of months,” he writes, adding “the purple, the crisped, the Cappadocian, and the Greek lettuce” to the list. Pliny also identifies an “inferior” lettuce with notably bitter leaves, now suspected to be chicory ( Cichorium intybus ). Fresh, young lettuce leaves were served in salads, and large, tough leaves were cooked and served with vinegar and oil.
What were the most popular lettuces in the 1900s?
In the early 1900s, the five most popular lettuces were ‘Prizehead,’ ‘Hanson,’ ‘Black Seeded Simpson,’ ‘Tennis Ball,’ and ‘Big Boston,’ in that order. Vendors would have to sell these greens locally because they were too fragile and perishable to hold up in shipping.
Where is Romaine lettuce grown?
The alternate name, “cos,” was used for the stem lettuce grown on the Greek island of Kos, a major lettuce-producing region. The names have been interchangeable down through the centuries, but “romaine” is used more often today.
Why did the Egyptians eat lettuce?
Over time, the Egyptians bred their wild-type lettuce to have leaves that were less bitter and more palatable.
What is the original name of the green capuchin?
The black-seeded variety of ‘Green Capuchin’ is the original European strain, now most often called ‘Tennis Ball, ’ though it can be found as ‘Salamander.’. The white-seeded variety, now known as ‘Boston Market,’ is one of the oldest heirlooms in the United States.
What was the most popular lettuce in the 1950s?
By the 1950s iceberg lettuce was the most commonly consumed lettuce in the U.S., with average per capita consumption around 20 pounds. Refrigeration technology developed to the point that iceberg lettuce was even shipped to American soldiers in Vietnam.
Why didn't all heads of lettuce get eaten?
But then, the iceberg growers and packers, who were always looking to improve their business model, realized that not all heads of lettuce got fully eaten because they were only ever sold in a full-head form. That led to the next revolutionary invention -- that of bagged salad greens.
What was the first commodity to make organics attractive to mainstream shoppers?
One researcher, Julie Guthman, said on the episode that salad greens were "the first commodity to make organics attractive to mainstream shoppers.". They're what turned the tide of public opinion from viewing organics as "hippy food" and turned them into desirable "yuppy chow.".
What was the first fresh produce?
Lettuce was the first fresh produce that Americans were able to buy any day or week of the year. Prior to this, they relied on root vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. Lettuce exploded onto the culinary scene when growers in California's Salinas Valley figured out how to send train cars filled with iceberg lettuce across ...
What did the invention of mescluns mean?
Their invention, however, meant that farmers could now ship more fragile lettuces, like Romaine, arugula, endive, Boston bibb, butterhead, and radicchio, further afield. As a result, mixed salad greens, or mesclun mixes, became a normal part of the American diet.
Who invented the bagged salad greens?
That led to the next revolutionary invention -- that of bagged salad greens. What I never realized was how complex those plastic bags of greens are. Jim Lug, who worked to design the first bags, told Nuttall-Smith that there are numerous layers within the plastic that you cannot see.
Is lettuce boring?
We've now reached a point where lettuce is so normal that's is almost boring. It's the vegetable nobody really thinks about, that everyone takes for granted because it's so cheap and available; and yet, as Nuttall-Smith points out, most Americans only know the tip of the iceberg, so to speak, when it comes to lettuces.
Where did lettuce originate?
Lettuce is no different. Around 6,000 years ago in the Caucasus region, people were growing wild lettuce so they could use it to harvest plant oil from their seeds. The Greeks and Romans liked these leaves, even though they carried thorns, so they bred them further as leafy vegetables.
Why is it important to genetically engineer lettuce?
As climate change challenges the agricultural industry, scientists and farmers may have to genetically engineer crops that are more resilient to drought or heat to maintain our food supply. Research like a new study in Nature Genetics, which outlines the genetic history of lettuce domestication, may help us develop hardier plants.
How many different kinds of lettuce are there?
More breeding over the years would turn smooth lettuce leaves into hard iceberg lettuce. There are probably about 2,500 different kinds of lettuce, about 1,500 of which are grown and sold commercially while about 1,000 grow as wild plants in different environments.
Is iceberg lettuce a leaf crop?
The researchers were able to plot the plant's transition from seed crop to leaf crop. See a map of that movement here. The scientists also identified when iceberg lettuce, a relatively recent variety, diverged from butterhead lettuce, which is ancient by comparison, in the wild Lactuca virosa. There was a rigorous effort to select traits ...
When was lettuce invented?
The lettuce is a relative newcomer, and confusingly named. A lettuce that went by the name of iceberg was developed in the 1890's , and somehow the name resurfaced when new varieties of durable, easily shippable crisphead lettuce began emerging in California in the mid-1920's. In 1948, the iceberg we know today was born.
Who invented the lettuce shipping system?
Bruce Church founder of Fresh Express, was responsible for popularizing the idea of shipping lettuce across the US continent from Salinas, California to the spots on the East coast. Using ice they carefully covered the heads of lettuce and shipped them.
What is iceberg lettuce?
Iceberg--a head lettuce, as opposed to a leaf lettuce--is also known as "crisphead" lettuce since one of its chief virtues (some say its only virtue) is that it stays fresher longer than leaf lettuces.". ---"MARKET WATCH 6/23: Iceberg Lettuce," Jeanne McManus, The Washington Post, June 23, 1999, Pg. F04.
What cheese is used in iceberg dressing?
Marc Meyer, at Five Points, anoints a wedge of the stuff with a modernized, Europeanized blue cheese dressing made with picon cheese from Spain, toasted almond slices and radishes...Despite its shortcomings, iceberg has always had its fans. James Beard was one. "Many people damn it," he once wrote, "but when broken up, not cut, ...
What is crisp head lettuce?
crisphead lettuce actually has several other varieties, such as imperial, Great Lakes, vanguard and western. Bruce Church founder of Fresh Express, was responsible for popularizing the idea of shipping lettuce across the US continent from Salinas, California to the spots on the East coast.
Is iceberg lettuce still popular?
Short of heating up a TV dinner, there are few more blatantly retro gestures than ordering a wedge of iceberg lettuce covered in a thick, creamy salad dressing. The lettuce itself remains popular in the United States. It still accounts for 70 percent of the lettuce raised in California, but that share is declining (in the mid-1970's it was as high as 80 percent), and anyone dining at fancier restaurants around the United States might wonder if it hadn't disappeared entirely, displaced by frisee, dandelion greens, oak leaf, lollo rosso, exotic cresses, microgreens, sprouts -- anything, in short, that's green, has a leaf, and is not iceberg. But iceberg somehow manages to hang on. Steakhouses refuse to give it up. And in some very unlikely places, it has earned a strange kind of cachet..."It's one of those things that's synonymous with growing up in America," Mr. Otsuka said. "Everybody has a comfort level with it. Served cold, it's very nice on the palate, with a good crunch." Marc Meyer, at Five Points, anoints a wedge of the stuff with a modernized, Europeanized blue cheese dressing made with picon cheese from Spain, toasted almond slices and radishes...Despite its shortcomings, iceberg has always had its fans.
When did Caesar Chavez boycott lettuce?
Quartered, shredded, its leaves pulled off and transformed into cups for canned pears, it knew no rival until the 1970s when Caesar Chavez called for a boycott to protest the working conditions of California lettuce pickers. Tastes changed, too.
Overview
History
Lettuce was first cultivated in ancient Egypt for the production of oil from its seeds. The plant was probably selectively bred by the Egyptians into a plant grown for its edible leaves, with evidence of its cultivation appearing as early as 2680 BC. Lettuce was considered a sacred plant of the reproduction god Min, and was carried during his festivals and placed near his images. The plant wa…
Taxonomy and etymology
Lactuca sativa is a member of the Lactuca (lettuce) genus and the Asteraceae (sunflower or aster) family. The species was first described in 1753 by Carl Linnaeus in the second volume of his Species Plantarum. Synonyms for L. sativa include Lactuca scariola var. sativa, L. scariola var. integrata and L. scariola var. integrifolia. L. scariola is itself a synonym for L. serriola, the common wild or pri…
Description
Lettuce's native range spreads from the Mediterranean to Siberia, although it has been transported to almost all areas of the world. Plants generally have a height and spread of 15 to 30 cm (6 to 12 in). The leaves are colorful, mainly in the green and red color spectrums, with some variegated varieties. There are also a few varieties with yellow, gold or blue-teal leaves.
Cultivation
A hardy annual, some varieties of lettuce can be overwintered even in relatively cold climates under a layer of straw, and older, heirloom varieties are often grown in cold frames. Lettuces meant for the cutting of individual leaves are generally planted straight into the garden in thick rows. Heading varieties of lettuces are commonly started in flats, then transplanted to individual spots, us…
Production
In 2020, world production of lettuce (report combined with chicory) was 28 million tonnes, with China alone producing 14.3 million tonnes or 52% of the world total (see table).
Lettuce is the only member of the genus Lactuca to be grown commercially. Although China is the top world producer of lettuce, the majority of the crop is …
Culinary use
As described around 50 AD, lettuce leaves were often cooked and served by the Romans with an oil-and-vinegar dressing; however, smaller leaves were sometimes eaten raw. During the 81–96 AD reign of Domitian, the tradition of serving a lettuce salad before a meal began. Post-Roman Europe continued the tradition of poaching lettuce, mainly with large romaine types, as well as the method of pouring a hot oil and vinegar mixture over the leaves.
Food-borne illness
Food-borne pathogens that can survive on lettuce include Listeria monocytogenes, the causative agent of listeriosis, which multiplies in storage. However, despite high levels of bacteria being found on ready-to-eat lettuce products, a 2008 study found no incidents of food-borne illness related to listeriosis, possibly due to the product's short shelf life, indigenous microflora competing with the Listeria bacteria or inhibition of bacteria to cause listeriosis.