Lettuce (Lactuca Sativus)
Eat Well|Issue #35
Lettuce goes beautifully in salads, wraps and sandwiches, but not all lettuces are created equal
Lettuce (Lactuca Sativus)

Lettuce first appeared near the Mediterranean basin more than 4000 years ago. Initially it was probably just regarded as a nuisance weed, but it wasn’t long before it was appreciated as a food and a medicine. Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, advocated its use. In ancient Rome it was prescribed to relax the bowels and indeed Augustus (first emperor of the Roman Empire from 27 BCE to 14 CE) was so impressed with it that he erected a statue to it.

Lettuce’s name comes from the Latin and means milk (because of the white sap of the stem) and the name of its major chemical “lactucin” echoes this. In folk lore lettuce is said to have a calming effect on the body, so much so that if you can eat several heads of it you may become euphoric. Perhaps this is why rabbits always seem so happy ... or is it why they breed so prolifically?

For years Australians ate only iceberg lettuce, but recently new types, such as cos (called romaine in the USA and the staple ingredient of Caesar salad), loose-leaf and butterhead lettuce have become very popular. Below is a brief guide to these lettuce types:

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