Lettuce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lettuce |
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| An iceberg lettuce field in California | |
| Scientific classification | |
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Lactuca
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| Species: |
sativa
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Lettuce is a popular vegetable that people eat all over the world. It is known for its crisp, green leaves. Both the stems and the leaves of the lettuce plant can be eaten. Lettuce is often a main part of many healthy meals.
Contents
Growing Lettuce
Lettuce can be grown in many places around the world. This includes Europe, Asia, and North America. It grows best in temperate climates, which means places that are not too hot or too cold.
If the weather gets too hot, lettuce leaves can start to taste more bitter. Farmers sometimes grow lettuce during the winter inside a greenhouse. This helps protect the plants from cold weather and keeps them growing well.
Eating Lettuce
In many countries, people enjoy eating lettuce cold and raw. It is a common ingredient in salads, hamburgers, tacos, and sandwichs. Lettuce adds a nice crunch and fresh taste to these dishes.
However, in some places, like China, lettuce is often cooked. It can be stir-fried or added to soups. Even though lettuce is very healthy, it contains only a small amount of energy or nutrients. It is mostly made of water and fiber, which is good for your digestion.
Kinds of Lettuce
Most lettuce leaves are green, but some types can be red. While many kinds of lettuce have a slightly bitter taste, some are sweeter.
Lettuce plants grow in different ways:
- Some kinds grow in a tight, round shape, much like a cabbage. These are called "head" lettuces.
- Other kinds have leaves that grow more loosely.
The five main types of lettuce are:
- Green leaf
- Red leaf
- Cos (also known as Romaine)
- Crisphead (like Iceberg)
- Stem lettuce
Some common varieties you might know are Romaine, Iceberg, and Butter lettuce.
History of Lettuce
Wild lettuce plants have been eaten for thousands of years. The Romans and Egyptians enjoyed them. The ancient Greeks were among the first people to start growing lettuce as a farm crop.
Lettuce was also one of the first plants brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus. This shows how important and popular lettuce has been throughout history. The name "lettuce" in English and "lactuca" in Latin both come from the Latin word lactis, which means "milk." This is because the plant's juice looks a bit like milk.
Images for kids
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L. sativa seeds
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Lettuce flowers
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Mature lettuce inflorescence in fruit
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A lettuce farm in the United Kingdom
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A transplanted bed of lettuce in a polytunnel
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A selection of lettuce cultivars
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The lettuce variety celtuce is grown for its stem, used in Chinese cooking.
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Buttercrunch butterhead lettuce.jpg
Butterhead lettuce growing in an Oklahoma garden
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A lettuce surrounded by weeds, which have crowded it to the point of bolting
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A lettuce plant that has bolted
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See also
In Spanish: Lechuga para niños
