Iceberg lettuce is a type of crisphead lettuce with tightly enveloping leaves and a mild flavor. It can be used in salads, ethnic dishes, and side dishes. There are six basic categories of lettuce, including crisphead, butterhead, romaine, broadleaf, Chinese, and summer crisp. When selecting iceberg lettuce, look for a firm head with no slime or discoloration. It can be grown at home in late spring with well-compacted, moist soil.
Iceberg lettuce is a variety of crisphead lettuce that is widely eaten around the world. It is characterized by crunchy, tightly enveloping leaves and a mild, sometimes watery flavor. There are many uses for iceberg lettuce, including salads, some ethnic dishes, and side dishes. Many grocery stores carry iceberg lettuce, and it’s also possible to grow the food at home; you don’t need a lot of space to grow it and it is very easy to grow.
There are six basic categories of lettuce, roughly divided by their physical properties. Crisphead lettuce is a lettuce that forms a tight head, like a cabbage. The leaves of a crisphead lettuce will be firm and crunchy, with a characteristic snappy texture. These lettuces may have lower nutritional value than other types of lettuce, although they do have reasonable amounts of fiber, minerals, and vitamins such as A and K.
Butterhead lettuce is a much looser head forming lettuce, with soft leaves and a creamy, slightly buttery texture. This lettuce is less shelf stable than lettuce and comes in a variety of cultivars. Romaine lettuce forms a narrow head with elongated, crunchy leaves and is one of the most nutritionally rich types of lettuce. Broadleaf lettuce is a tender, lightly flavored cultivar that forms very large heads, while Chinese lettuce has long, often lance-shaped leaves that do not form heads. Summer crisp lettuce is a blend of crispheads and butterheads.
Like other fried lettuces, iceberg lettuce is firm and very crunchy. Lettuce gets its name from its pale color, which can be encouraged by covering the lettuce as it grows. The high water content and crunchy texture can make iceberg lettuce look very refreshing; it is often cut into wedges and ribbons for salads and for garnishing foods that may otherwise lack greens.
When selecting a head of iceberg lettuce at the store, look for a firm head that has no slime or areas of discoloration. It should be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator and will generally keep for about five days, although the mileage can vary, depending on the source of lettuce and the ambient temperature of the refrigerator. If you want to grow iceberg lettuce, you can sow the seeds in late spring into well-compacted, moist soil. Keep the soil moist and thin the lettuces as they emerge, leaving space between the plants for heads to develop. Collect as needed.
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