Iceberg Lettuce
This is the Lettuce that foodies love to hate. It's usually dismissed by all with a single, knowing sneer.

Iceberg Lettuce has a firm, tight head of crisp, pale green leaves. The leaves have a great deal of moisture in them; some would say more moisture than flavour, in reference to its very mild flavour. But they may be missing the point: Iceberg Lettuce is about crunch and texture, not exotic flavour.

In defence of Iceberg Lettuce, its round, dense shape not only makes it easy to ship; it helps the lettuce survive the trip to the market in the right kind of condition that consumers want to buy. When consumers get it home, it will last a while in the fridge, and not curl up and die on them the next day as many lettuces already start to do. It stands up well to heavy, creamy dressings as other lettuce leaves can't -- and if you think of when it had its heyday, in the middle chunk of the 1900s, those were exactly the salad dressings that were popular then.

Besides, someone is buying it: Iceberg Lettuce was still the second single most popular vegetable after potatoes (as of 2000) -- and that's all potatoes, lumped together.

Iceberg Lettuce is sometimes called Crisphead, though Crisphead is actually the name of the type of lettuce that it is; other Crisphead varieties include Great Lakes, Imperial, Vanguard, and Western.

Iceberg is the only variety of lettuce that doesn't have a red variety. It is grown year-round in California.

Choose firm heads that are heavy for their size, with minimal browning at the edges (called "rust"), and leaves that aren't wilting.

Cooking Tips
Cut out core, wash, then chop or tear leaves off, or slice head into wedges. A medium-sized head should serve 6 people.

Nutrition
Per 50g / 1 cup shredded, no dressing: 6.5 calories, .55g protein, 1.15g carbohydrate, .1g fat, .8g fibre.

Iceberg Lettuce is not as nutritious as lettuces with darker leaves.

Equivalents
1 pound lettuce = 450g = approx 6 cups torn
8 oz lettuce = 225g = approx 3 cups torn
2 oz shredded lettuce = 50g = 1 cup
8 oz shredded lettuce = 200g = 4 cups

Storage
Store unwashed in plastic bag in fridge for up to 2 weeks.

History
Iceberg Lettuce was developed by W. Atlee Burpee at his farm, Fordhook Farm, at Doyleston, Pennsylvania. It was released commercially by Burpee seeds in 1894. It was first imported to the UK in the mid 1970s. By 1984, it was being grown commercially in the UK.

Though Iceberg began to decline in popularity at the end of the 1900s, it still commanded 73% of the lettuce market in the US in 2000.

Literature & Lore
In the 1955 film East of Eden with James Dean (and of course, in the earlier book by John Steinbeck), ice is used to cool lettuce shipments by train from California to the east coast.

"Iceberg lettuce is perhaps the most aptly named plant in the world and should be avoided as though you were the Titanic with a second chance." -- Alan Koehler (food writer, author of The Madison Avenue Cook Book)

Language Notes
Began to be called "iceberg" around the 1920s. California growers would ship it east on trains covered in crushed ice. Before that, it had just been called by the generic name of its family of Lettuces, which is "Crisphead".

Also called: Laitue Iceberg (French) Lechuga repollo (Spanish)

Other entries for Lettuce
Batavia Lettuce, Boston Lettuce, Bronze Mignonette Lettuce, Butterhead Lettuce, Green Mignonette Lettuce, Iceberg Lettuce, Lamb's Lettuce, Lollo Biando Lettuce, Lollo Rosso Lettuce, Mignonette Lettuce, Oak Lettuce, Redina Lettuce

Other entries for Leafy Vegetables
Branch Lettuce, Dandelion, Endive, Frisée, Greens, Lamb's Quarters, Malabar Spinach, Mesclun Mix, Mizuna, New Zealand Spinach, Potherbs, Rocket, Strawberry Spinach

Other entries for Vegetables
Agave, Artichokes, Asparagus, Brassica Family, Canned Vegetables, Cardoons, Celery, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Frozen Vegetables, Garlic, Gourds, Herbed Vinegars, Horseradish Tree, Hoshi Shiitake, Lotus, Mixed Vegetables, Mushrooms, Pak Wan, Peas, Peppers, Root Vegetables, Sago Palm, Seaweed, Spinach, Sprouts, Squash, Tomatoes, Viscous Vegetables



Related Recipes
Fishstick Wraps, Guacamole and Shrimp Rolls
Top...

Practically Edible RSS Feed | Terms of Use | Site Credits | Sources | Contact Us | Reprint Permission © Copyright 2008. All rights reserved and enforced.