Lettuce

Generality

Lettuce ( Lactuca sativa L.) is a herbaceous vegetable belonging to the composite family (asteraceae).

Lettuce is a vegetable of great food importance, whose leaves are consumed.

The plant looks like a small bush, hooded or open, spherical or elongated, of a bright green or light greenish color tending to light yellow, sometimes with shades of pink, wine, red, etc. on part of the leaf or on its entirety. The leaves have a very different shape, appearance and color depending on the cultivated varieties; there is no lack, for example, of varieties with reddish leaves, such as the Lollo rosso and the Red salad bowl.

The color of the leaves also changes according to the location in the head: the external ones are darker, while inside they are almost totally clear (due to the lower concentration of chlorophyll). In a similar way, the crunchiness of the same is greater towards the heart, while outside the leaves are more tender even if thick.

Lettuce for cultivation comes from wild species, such as the alpina, perennis, serriola etc., which colonize the Mediterranean regions. It is distinguished from the latter by the unmistakable leaf structure and its differentiation (which occurred in antiquity) has mainly affected Southern Europe.

Lettuce is the "leafy vegetable" that occupies the largest cultivation area of ​​the peninsula (about 24, 500 ha - ISTAT 2002), which is why it is considered one of the most important food and agricultural products in Italy. With regard to so much diffusion, lettuce is often (and erroneously) called " salad " (a noun that should indicate the recipe, not the ingredient).

There are numerous varieties of lettuce, which develop optimally at various times of the year. Considering them all, lettuce is available all year round.

ICEBERG	HOOD				ROMAN	GENTILINA AND BATAVIA	OAK LEAF
	For protected crops	For full field			Alisia	Ashiantie	belize
Barcelona	Cambria	Spring	Summer	Autumn	ALMADIN	Bohemia	Krinas
Blizzard	Bead	Caliente	Ballerina	Caliente	Kiss	Camaro	Kristinas
Brest	Pianosa	Catherine	Fatima	Catherine	Barrina	Campania	Kristine
Calgary	Titziana	Diabless	Faustina	Diabless	chilim	Funly	Smile
Dublin		Estelle	Green Sun	Estelle	Donatus	Funtime
Edmonton		Fiorella	Justine	Fiorella	Manita	Gentle Giant
Elenas		Sagess	Joy	Sagess	Melissa	Rolina
Rocco		Titan	Maxima	Tutan	Severus	Tilina
Roxette					Tiberia
Rubette					Trollia

Nutritional Features

As can be seen from the table below, lettuce is a low-calorie vegetable, with an energy prevalence of carbohydrates (simple carbohydrates) compared to proteins and lipids.

Nutritional values

Edible part 100% water 94, 3g Protein 1.8g Prevailing amino acids - Limiting amino acid - Lipids TOT 0.4g Saturated fatty acids 0, 04g Monounsaturated fatty acids 0.05g Polyunsaturated fatty acids 0, 21g Cholesterol 0, 0mg TOT Carbohydrates 2.2 g Starch 0.0g Soluble sugars 2.2 g Ethyl alcohol 0.0g Dietary fiber 1.5g Soluble fiber - g Insoluble fiber - g Power 19, 0kcal Sodium 9, 0mg Potassium 240, 0mg Iron 0, 80mg Football 45, 0mg Phosphorus 31, 0mg Thiamine 0.05 mg Riboflavin 0, 18mg Niacin 0, 70mg Vitamin A (RAE) 229, 0μg C vitamin 6, 0mg Vitamin E 0, 66mg

The few peptides it contains are of low biological value and have no nutritional value. Fatty acids, even more deficient, are mainly unsaturated. Cholesterol is absent and small amounts of phytosterols emerge.

In lettuce, the fiber is present in good quantities and is the main pseudo-nutrient.

This vegetable is also very rich in water, a very important aspect in the nutrition of athletes and the elderly (both at risk of dehydration), as well as of the obese (which benefits from the satiating power obtained from the fiber-water combination).

From a vitamin point of view, lettuce is rich in vitamin C (ascorbic acid); it provides a fair amount of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and contains a small dose of vit. IS.

As far as mineral salts are concerned, the most present is undoubtedly potassium, a fundamental element for the nutrition of the sportsman and of the subject suffering from primary arterial hypertension.

Gastronomy

Lettuce is a food to be consumed mainly fresh and raw, even if, for hygienic reasons, to those potentially at risk (pregnant women, immunosuppressed etc.), it is advisable to wash it thoroughly disinfecting it with diluted chlorine.

There are also recipes that involve cooking this vegetable; the most famous are probably the "Lettuce Risotto" and the "Lettuce Soup".

Lettuce Risotto (for 4 people)

Ingredients: 320g of short-grain white rice, 50g of chopped onion, 650ml of vegetable broth, 500g of julienne lettuce, ½ glass of dry white wine, 50g of pine nuts, 30g of grated parmesan, 20g of extra virgin olive oil, QB salt and QB white pepper.

Method:

• dry the chopped onion and half of the julienne lettuce in a tablespoon of oil;
• toast the rice and blend with the wine.
• Once the alcohol has evaporated, continue cooking with the boiling broth.
• A few minutes before turning off the heat, add the pine nuts.
• When cooked, turn off the heat, add the grated cheese, the remaining lettuce, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and white pepper.
• Leave to rest for a couple of minutes and serve.

Lettuce soup (for 4 people)

Ingredients: 400g of lettuce, 2 liters of water, 2 potatoes, 1 onion, ½ rib of celery, ½ carrot, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, QB roasted stale bread, QB salt and pepper, grated grated QB.

Method:

• Clean and wash the lettuce;
• put it in a pot with water, half a carrot, potatoes, onion and celery.
• Cook and season with salt and pepper.
• Switch to a vegetable mill and serve with toasted bread, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and grated cheese.

Apple juice and lettuce to purify after the holidays

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Botany and Cultivation

Lettuce categories are mainly three: winter and spring, spring and summer, and autumn. Its production is extended throughout Italy by means of techniques (field or protected cultivation), marketing periods and different cultivars. Some lettuces can be sown in every season of the year. However, all types of lettuce are annual or biennial plants, characterized by a very rapid development.

The spread of lettuce is due to the limited thermal needs of the vegetable: the optimal range of development in the field is 16-20 ° C during the day and 10-12 ° C at night. Lettuce can suffer the negative effect of cold when the temperature crosses the -2 ° C threshold; on the contrary, with night temperatures higher than 16 ° C and daily temperatures of 25 ° C, seed induction occurs.

As anticipated, there are many varieties of lettuce; the most famous are certainly: the smooth, the longifolia (smooth and long, like the Romana), the capitata (a cap, like the Iceberg and the Trocadero) and the acephala (Lollo, Botavie, Gentile etc.).

Lettuce propagates (and is cultivated) by sowing in the nursery; in winter or in spring in plastic tunnels or in any case sheltered. The soil should consist of a mixture of one third of peat and two thirds of normal soil. Lettuce can also be planted directly, taking care to carefully eliminate all kinds of weeds, their pests and snails. Winter and spring lettuces can be sown without protection in the months of August and September. After being re-stuffed, lettuce spends the cold season under cover. It should be planted on the ground with a distance between the plants of about 40cm. It needs a moist, fresh, draining and neutral pH substrate. If the earth is clayey, it is essential to correct it for a long period (years) with mature manure; if the pH is acidic, the correction with lime is instead necessary.

The plant must be bathed frequently, even if not abundantly.

Lettuce is a coveted prey of snails and slugs; fortunately, very effective and non-polluting poisonous baits are available. Often, those in granular form find a certain complication that affects ants; these, though not feeding on them, carry the fragments inside the anthill within a few hours; for this reason, it is sometimes necessary to eradicate them.

Against the lettuce lice, it is necessary to use the insecticide.

He rarely falls ill with rot, although in this case the pathology extends to the whole cultivation; it is possible to avoid the loss of the entire crop thanks to the use of a fungicide to be diluted in the irrigation water.

Sowing and transplanting lettuce should be done every two weeks (not once) to avoid producing too many tufts at the same time.

From the mature lettuce plant it is possible to collect the seeds, which give rise to genetically very faithful plants.