Romaine lettuce

Romaine lettuce

Romaine or cos lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia) is a variety of lettuce which grows in a tall head of sturdy leaves with a firm rib down the center. Unlike most lettuces, it is tolerant of heat.

Origin and etymology

Most dictionaries trace the word cos to the name of the Greek island of Cos, from which the lettuce was presumably introduced. Other authorities (Davidson) trace it to the Arabic word for lettuce, خس khus (IPA: [xus]).

It apparently reached the West via Rome, as in Italian it is called lattuga romana and in French laitue romaine, hence the name 'romaine', the common term in American English. (Davidson)

Cuisine

The thick ribs, especially on the older outer leaves, should have a milky fluid which gives the romaine the typically fine-bitter herb taste.

Romaine is the usual lettuce used in Caesar salad.

Romaine is the usual lettuce in Middle Eastern cuisine.

Ritual use

Romaine lettuce may be used in the Passover Seder as a type of bitter herb, to symbolise the bitterness inflicted by the Egyptians while the Israelites were slaves in Egypt.

Nutrition

Like other dark leafy greens, romaine lettuce is believed to fight cancer.^[1]

Notes

1. ^ American Institute for Cancer Research, "Foods That Fight Cancer: Dark Green Leafy Vegetables".

References

Look up romaine in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

• Alan Davidson, The Oxford Companion to Food, s.v. lettuce. Oxford University Press 1999. ISBN 0-19-211579-0.
• John D. Kirschmann & Lavon J. Dunne, Nutrition Almanac, s.v. ISBN 0-07-034906-1.

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