Lettuce Trivia | 30 facts about the vegetable

One of the most popular vegetables, often used in salads, that is also a basic element for making the Ceasar’s salad is the lettuce.

Let’s find out more about the lettuce!

1. Lettuce  is an annual plant of the daisy family, Asteraceae.
2. Its scientific name is Lactuca sativa.
3. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable.
4. Sometimes though it is grown for its stem and seeds.
5. Lettuce is most often used for salads, although it is also seen in other kinds of food, such as soups, sandwiches and wraps, but it can also be grilled.
6. One variety, the celtuce (asparagus lettuce) is grown for its stems, which are eaten either raw or cooked.
7. In addition to its main use as a leafy green, it has also gathered religious and medicinal significance over centuries of human consumption.
8. Europe and North America originally dominated the market for lettuce, but by the late 20th century the consumption of lettuce had spread throughout the world.
9. World production of lettuce and chicory for 2017 was 27 million tonnes, 56% of which came from China.
10. Lettuce was originally farmed by the ancient Egyptians.
11. They transformed it from a plant whose seeds were used to create oil into an important food crop raised for its succulent leaves and oil-rich seeds.
12. Lettuce spread to the Greeks and Romans.
13. The latter gave it the name lactuca, from which the English lettuce is derived.
14. By 50 AD, many types were described, and lettuce appeared often in medieval writings, including several herbals.
15. The 16th through 18th centuries saw the development of many varieties in Europe.
16. By the mid-18th century cultivars were described that can still be found in gardens.
17. Generally the lettuce is grown as a hardy annual.
18. It is easily cultivated, although it requires relatively low temperatures to prevent it from flowering quickly.
19. It can be plagued by numerous nutrient deficiencies, as well as insect and mammal pests, and fungal and bacterial diseases.
20. L. sativa crosses easily within the species and with some other species within the genus Lactuca.
21. Although this trait can be a problem to home gardeners who attempt to save seeds, biologists have used it to broaden the gene pool of cultivated lettuce varieties.
22. Lettuce is a rich source of vitamin K and vitamin A, and a moderate source of folate and iron.
23. Contaminated lettuce is often a source of bacterial, viral, and parasitic outbreaks in humans, including E. coli and Salmonella.
24. Lettuce is the second most popular fresh veggie in the US, behind only the potato!
25. Because lettuce is about 95% water, it has to be eaten fresh and cannot be frozen, dried, pickled or canned.
26. There are hieroglyphic records of lettuce being grown over 6000 years ago.
27. Christopher Columbus was the person who actually introduced lettuce to America during his second voyage to the New World in 1494.
28. Dark green lettuce leaves are more nutritious than light green leaves.
29. Many ancient Greeks believed that lettuce made you sleepy so they served it at the end of the meal.
30. However, the super mean Roman Emperor, Domitian, served it at the beginning of his feasts to try to torture his guests by forcing them to stay awake in his presence.