Lettuce is a vegetable that has been appreciated for many centuries. The Greeks and Romans used it for medicinal and culinary qualities. It was used as a cooling food during illness. Lettuce has a high water content and is an ideal summer thirst quencher - it also povides a good source of vitamin A and folate.
Lettuce Types/Varieties
Butterhead Lettuce
Non-Hearting Butterheads
- Red Butterhead
- Oakleaf (red & Green types)
- Lollo Rossa/Lolla Bionda
Crisphead
- Cos
- Iceberg
- Little Gem
Areas Grown
Primarily North County Dublin and eastern seaboard counties.
Nutritional/Energy Value/ 100 grams Lettuce raw
|
Water |
95.1 grams |
|
Protein |
0.8 grams |
|
Fat |
0.5 grams |
|
Carbohydrates |
1.7 grams |
|
Vitamin E |
0.57 milligrams |
|
Vitamin A |
355 micrograms |
|
Vitamin C |
5 milligrams |
|
Folate |
55 micrograms |
|
Iron |
0.7 milligrams |
|
Dietary Fibre |
0.9 grams |
|
Energy Value
kcal
kJ |
14
59
|
How to Store
Lettuce should be kept cool, preferably in the salad drawer of a refrigerator. Iceberg lettuce will stay fresh for up to a week if stored in a refrigerator. Little Gem will also stay in excellent condition for several days if kept in this way. The unhearted and round (cabbage) types of lettuce need to be used up within 1 – 2 days.
How to Cook
Although lettuce is generally regarded as a salad vegetable, it can be added to stews, casseroles and soups, stuffed or cooked as a vegetable accompaniment to savoury dishes. Lettuce leaves can be damaged easily and turn limp if handled too much. Therefore it is recommended that tearing rather than cutting a lettuce is a less harmful way to prepare it for eating and cooking.