Romaine lettuce, also known as cos lettuce, has an oblong shape with leaves spreading out from the base. It is easy to grow and can handle more heat than other lettuce types. Romaine is commonly used in salads, including Caesar salads, and is low in calories but contains vitamins A and C.
Romaine lettuce is a type of edible lettuce that is very common in salads. The name “cos” is typically used in countries such as the United Kingdom, although it is not unusual to hear it mentioned in other places such as the United States, where “romaine” is the most common name. “Romaine” is a French name, based on the word “Roman”, while “cos” is based on the name of a Greek island.
The shape of romaine lettuce is oblong, with the leaves spreading out from the base instead of wrapping around themselves to form a ball or lying in a loose clump. The base is white to light green and becomes progressively darker towards the tops of the leaves, although the inner leaves tend to remain much lighter in color and may take on a yellow hue. Romaine lettuce is considered one of the four major subgroups of lettuce, with head or crisphead, leaf and butterhead being the other three. The leaves in a head of cos can grow up to 10 inches long.
Romaine lettuce or romaine lettuce is relatively easy to grow in home gardens and can handle more heat than other types of lettuce such as iceberg. It still needs cool temperatures overall, though, with a growing season with temperatures between about 45 degrees Fahrenheit (7.2 degrees Celsius) and 65 degrees Fahrenheit (18.3 degrees Celsius). Romaine lettuce can grow in many soil types, but the looser the soil, the better, and packed soils need amendments to loosen them. Good drainage is required.
Like other lettuces, romaine lettuce is often used as the base lettuce for salads, and it is the lettuce used in Caesar salads. It’s edible raw, but cooks can also braise or grill it, though it doesn’t hold up well when a well-meaning cook tries to preserve it or can. Lettuce is available year-round in grocery stores in countries like the United States, either as a whole head or as a pre-cut, bagged lettuce. Because it is low in calories and contains some nutrients including vitamins A and C, and there is also a small amount of fiber. The darker the leaves, the more vitamins they contain.
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