Lettuce comes in all shapes and sizes. The vegetable is also healthy and easy to process. Lettuce is also said to promote sleep, because it contains a substance that induces sleep. The Romans already made a meal of boiled lettuce to help them sleep. It is also nice to know that lettuce comes in two different types if you take it on average. The varieties of lettuce throughout the area are large and they all have a different taste as well. The commonly used cabbage lettuce was actually just a wild plant. Only when the cabbage lettuce was cultivated did it become what it is today, namely widely used. And the Caesar salad, there is a whole story behind it.
Two types of lettuce
One person turns lettuce into an extensive salad, the other adds a dressing, some tomato and some cucumber and is satisfied with it. In addition, one person takes the normal lettuce, while the other swears by iceberg lettuce or ruccola. This is also possible because the range of vegetables is large. There are roughly two types of lettuce. The lactuca sativa, which are sweet and the cichorium intybus that have a bitter taste. In addition, there are a number that do not fall under both of these.
Different types of lettuce
Anyone who enters any supermarket, greengrocer or fresh market will see a variety of lettuce varieties. Not everyone will recognize it as such. But many green vegetables still fall under the lettuce family. These are:
- Iceberg lettuce
- Batavia lettuce
- Lamb’s lettuce
- Frisee
- Oak leaf lettuce
- Mole lettuce (dandelion leaf)
- Red lettuce
- Lollo bionda
- Lollo Rossa
- Watercress
- Roman lettuce
- Ruccola
Butterhead lettuce
In the past, lettuce that grew in the wild was found in Southern Europe, Asia Minor and North Africa. This was then cultivated and that is the current cabbage lettuce. The Greeks use the juice of the wild lettuce as a medicine. Cabbage lettuce came to England in the 15th century and then spread all over Europe.
Caesar salad
Ordering a Caesar salad is pretty hot these days. Still, the story behind it is a lot simpler. The dish is named after the chef, who also owns a hotel and restaurant called Caesar Cardini. Cardini lived from 1896 to 1956 and owned a hotel in Tijuana, Mexico. This is on the border of America. On July 4, Independence Day in the United States in 1924, so many people came to eat at Cardini that he was actually short of vegetable supplies. He did have a lot of lettuce, but that was quite undervalued at the time. The chef then devised a dish with lettuce and many Italian ingredients such as anchovies, Parmesan cheese, homemade croutons and eggs, which suddenly turned the lettuce into a highly appreciated dish. The Caesar salad was also born.
Lettuce does not have to be eaten raw
Many people only eat raw lettuce. But you don’t have to. Many types of lettuce can also be grilled (such as romaine lettuce), cooked or steamed. Lettuce can also be used to make soup. In the past, Roman lettuce was always cooked.
Buy lettuce
Lettuce consists of 92 percent water. This means that it is good for the line and ensures that people get enough moisture by eating lettuce. It also means that lettuce should only be bought super fresh. Lettuce should still look firm and nice and fresh. Withered leaves indicate an old product. To keep the lettuce as fresh as possible, it should be kept in the refrigerator. This can be stored for a maximum of one week.
Good substances in lettuce
In addition to vitamins A and C, lettuce also contains iron. Moreover, it contains almost no calories and not a gram of fat. There are also many minerals in lettuce.
Prepare lettuce
Lettuce should always be washed well. On land, not only bugs come in, but also sand, which is not so nice between the teeth. Anyone who prepares lettuce must dry it thoroughly after washing. This can be done with a salad spinner, but also by throwing around a clean tea towel with the lettuce in it.
Kos lettuce
In England lettuce is called lettuce, but actually Cos lettuce. This is because tradition says that lettuce actually comes from Kos, an island of Greece.
Caesar salad
You quickly pay a nice dollar for a Caesar salad in a restaurant. But you can make it at home for a fraction less and that is very easy.
Ingredients
- 1 head of romaine lettuce
- 4 white bread slices without crust
- 1 clove of garlic
- Parmesan cheese
- 1 half lemon
- 2 boiled eggs
- avocado in pieces
- 2 tomatoes sliced
- few slices of bacon
- anchovies
The dressing
- 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon of mustard
- 1 teaspoon of olive oil
- black pepper
- Worcestershire sauce
Preparation of Caesar salad
- Wash and dry the lettuce
- Divide among 4 plates
- Cut the bread into cubes and fry in olive oil and garlic
- Fry the bacon separately
- Cut the eggs into slices
- Place the croutons, bacon, eggs, Parmesan cheese, pieces of avocado, tomato slices and anchovies over the lettuce
- Squeeze some of the lemon juice over the whole
- Beat the dressing by combining all the ingredients
- Pour it over the salad or serve it separately so that everyone can add to taste