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The History of Iceberg Lettuce 


 Even James Beard – the father of American gastronomy –was a fan, saying, “Many people damn it, but it adds good flavor and a wonderfully crisp texture to a salad .” (“It also keeps longer than other lettuces,” he pointed out.) Iceberg lettuce has had quite a story achieving its fame of the most popular lettuce in the US.

Iceberg is only 1 of many types of Crisphead lettuce . Nutritional Data  

How did the name Iceberg lettuce come to be?

 

Over the years of doing culinary history I have learned that you have to dig deeper and deeper and it seems there is never just one story.

I first read from the Fresh Express Website, that Bruce Church the founder, was responsible for popularizing the idea of shipping lettuce across the US continent from Salinas, California to the spots on the East coast.


Fresh Express claims, In the 1920's using ice they carefully covered the heads of lettuce in big train cars and and shipped them year around all the way as far as Maine.

As the train pulled into each stop, folks would call out excitedly, "The icebergs are coming, the icebergs are coming!" The name would stick..

However the name "iceberg lettuce" came earlier than 1920.

I looked at old newspaper articles seeing if there was mention of Iceberg lettuce in 1915....sure enough then 1910....sure enough there was ...then 1900 ...YUP....then 1895 ...Yes and then 1894. But according to the Victory Seed website, they found an old Farm Annual from Burpees Seed catalog saying they developed a new lettuce in 1893, and called it "Iceberg Lettuce"

Early 1900 articles, I can find, calling it Iceberg Lettuce..

So how about shipping lettuce on iced down train cars across the country starting in 1920 providing the nation with Iceberg and the name stuck?.....

However the trains transporting iced down, iceberg lettuce probably helped the branding of Iceberg lettuce become a household name. Before that people had to depend on what you could grow locally and preserve from the gardens, so this year around variety was welcome and could be picked up nearly any day at the produce stand or market. But I find articles that indicate they were transporting it earlier than 1920.

Salinas California became the Iceberg capital of the world. There are many articles about the "Lettuce Trains" with over a hundred cars at once going to the east to stock the country with California Iceberg lettuce.

29 Apr 1928, Sun Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California) Newspapers.com

05 Dec 1940, Thu The Philadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) Newspapers.com


 
However as early as 1919, farmers in the East US started to grow crops of Iceberg lettuce, bragging that it is better than California shipped lettuce. However California Iceberg still dominated the market.

Where did Iceberg Lettuce get it's start?

Iceberg lettuce, or as it is scientifically known, Lactuca sativa, the interesting thing in this name is the Lactuca which is a word derived from Lacto or milk, because Iceberg's ancient relatives had stiff bulky spines filled with a milky sap.

Here's an overview of its origins and development:

How far back do we have records of Iceberg lettuce?

It's interesting that just as they can find your origins through your DNA, they can also find lettuce origins with it's DNA now! According to the WUR University and Research, Iceberg lettuce got it's start in the Caucasus.
The Caucasus is a region located at the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is situated between the Black Sea to the west and the Caspian Sea to the east. It is here that they can trace back the origins of Iceberg lettuce and most all lettuce.

4000 years ago lettuce started out as rough plant with thorns, and a stiff spine with a milky fluid that had medicinal qualities like ibuprofen. They also used the seeds which were pressed for oil.

Through selective breeding, they got more and more edible plants, without thorns or stiff stalks. Iceberg in it's evolvement went to Egypt , then Italy and the Mediterranean where an early form of Romaine was grown, and then Europe where early head lettuces were developed.
The early explorers brought lettuce seeds to America and they thrived. W Atlee Burpee's horticulturists developed a new lettuce in 1893 or 94 and called it Iceberg.

This is from

  1. "Burpee's Farm Annual for 1893," W. Atlee Burpee & Co., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

"Suffice it now to say that we have never had a handsomer or more solid Head Lettuce. By reason of its remarkable solidity and crisp, crystalline appearance it well warrants the name — Iceberg. It matters not whether grown in early spring or under the hottest summer sun, it always heads hard and solid, of surpassingly fine quality. So long-standing and solid are the heads that they seldom shoot up to seed until first cut open with a knife. Try it! and you will tell us that in all your experience you have seldom, if ever, had such grand heads of lettuce."

So was Iceberg lettuce developed in a test tube?

No lettuce varieties are developed by pollinating the lettuce plant flowers that are a bit like dandelion flowers,
The lettuce variety that eventually became known as "iceberg" evolved through centuries of cultivation and selective breeding. A tighter head is crossed with another tighter head of lettuce, and a milder with a milder, so that eventually you get a nice tight head, crisp and mild. They do this same technique to get a seedless or almost seedless watermelon. I thought perhaps they crossed a cabbage with lettuce because it looks similar but they are 2 distinct species.

So how did this become the most popular lettuce in the world?

I think there are several reasons that Iceberg lettuce became so popular.

Iceberg lettuce field in Northern Santa Barbara County (California, USA) between Santa Maria and Lompoc author attribution license

According to the article in the 1895 Farmer Newspaper

Iceberg lettuce was the perfect lettuce to grow as a crop,
the outer leaves, protect this perfect tight head as it grows no matter if it is a chilly day in Spring or the hottest days of summer.

The nice tight mild head always looks perfect to the customer, which back then was not necessarily looking for nutrition.

The rise of iceberg lettuce's popularity can also be attributed to its ability to withstand transportation over long distances while remaining fresh. So that is when Fresh Express began to ice down this lettuce in train cars and shipped it all across the nation.

While Iceberg lettuce went viral, there were still those that worked at promoting it.
Probably the most notable was father HP Garin and his son William, Mr. Garin who was instrumental in starting Western Iceberg Lettuce Inc., at first a promotional organization concentrating on public relations promotion of Iceberg lettuce to food editors, home economics teachers and major advertisers on tie-in promotions.

Why is Iceberg lettuce the butt of so many culinary jokes?

Why did the fitness trainer bring iceberg lettuce to the gym?
Because it needed some exercise in the nutrition department!...groan....


While iceberg lettuce was widely embraced, it also garnered criticisms for its comparatively lower nutritional content compared to darker, leafier greens like romaine or spinach. Iceberg lettuce has a high water content and fewer vitamins and minerals than some other lettuce varieties.

If nutrition is weak in Iceberg lettuce, what are it's strong points culinary wise?
Iceberg lettuce is often used as the base for salads, sandwiches, and wraps due to its sturdy leaves. It provides a refreshing and neutral backdrop for a variety of toppings and dressings. It's also a common ingredient in dishes like tacos and burgers as it shreds nicely and maintains it's crunch.

So did anyone do anything to add nutrition to Iceberg ? As public interest in culinary diversity and nutrition grew, people began exploring a wider range of lettuce varieties beyond just iceberg. Romaine, aruIfgula, spinach, kale, and other leafy greens gained popularity due to their nutritional value and unique flavors.

In recent years, there has been a shift towards prioritizing more nutrient-dense and colorful greens in salads and meals. Iceberg lettuce is still widely available and used, but many people now choose to mix it with other types of lettuce for a more balanced and nutritious meal.

 

Iceberg Lettuce Boycotted?

There once was a time--before the arrival of mesclun, frisee, endive, spring mix, packaged salads, radicchio and arugula--when iceberg lettuce dominated the produce aisle. Quartered, shredded, its leaves pulled off and transformed into cups for canned pears, it knew no rival until the 1970s when Caesar Chavez called for a boycott to protest the working conditions of California lettuce pickers. Tastes changed, too. The wedge of iceberg drowning in a thick dressing was replaced with vinaigrette-tossed leaf lettuces (especially romaine) and smaller, more exotic "designer" greens, all more nutritional and more flavorful than the "neutral" iceberg. Iceberg--a head lettuce, as opposed to a leaf lettuce--is also known as "crisphead" lettuce since one of its chief virtues (some say its only virtue) is that it stays fresher longer than leaf lettuces."
---"MARKET WATCH 6/23: Iceberg Lettuce," Jeanne McManus, The Washington Post, June 23, 1999, Pg. F04

 

 

Nutritional Data

The good : This food is low in Sodium, and very low in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol. It is also a good source of Thiamin, Vitamin B6, Iron and Potassium, and a very good source of Dietary Fiber, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Folate and Manganese.

The bad : A large portion of the calories in this food come from sugars.

Also Iceberg can accentuate inflamation.

This is according to nutritiondata.com


Iceberg

Romaine

calories

10

8

fiber

0.9 g

1 g

protein

0.65 g

0.53 g

sugars

1.42 g

0.56 g

potassium

102 mg

116 mg

iron

0.30 mg

0.46 mg

calcium

13 mg

16 mg

vitamin C

2 mg

11.3 mg

folate (total)

21 mcg

64 mcg

carotene (beta)

215 mcg

2456 mcg

vitamin A (IU)

361 IU

4094 IU

vitamin K

17.4 mcg

48.2 mcg

 

 

Articles about Iceberg Lettuce

How early has it been called Iceberg lettuce?

This about the earliest I could find a source of lettuce being referred to
as Iceberg lettuce.

As you can see it goes all the way back to1891 in Indiana.

10 Oct 1891, Sat The Centralia Enterprise and Tribune (Centralia, Wisconsin) Newspapers.com

The New Iceberg 

This is proof that it was called Iceberg lettuce long before the claim of
Fresh Express that this lettuce got it's name from the train cars loaded
with ice covered Iceberg lettuce in the 1920's.

This is from Kansas Farmer Newspaper March of 1895 , and my great step granpa in Kansas
probably read this.
anyway it goes on to say that
It said the outside leaves of Iceberg lettuce are curly with indents, and they hold they are
filled with dewdrops and and with the sun on them they have a crystalline appearance
which well warrants the name Iceberg ...

06 Mar 1895, Wed Kansas Farmer (Topeka, Kansas) Newspapers.com 

Even available at Christmas in Indiana in 1915

22 Dec 1915, Wed The Marion Star (Marion, Ohio) Newspapers.com

This next article in Indiana talks about a shortage of Iceberg lettuce due to cold
weather in California.

So they must have been shipping it since 1917, before 1920.

24 Jan 1917, Wed The Indianapolis News (Indianapolis, Indiana) Newspapers.com

Growing Iceberg Lettuce in Eastern US

 

10 May 1917, Thu The Buffalo News (Buffalo, New York) Newspapers.com 

28 Nov 1922, Tue The Charlotte News (Charlotte, North Carolina) Newspapers.com 

18 Dec 1925, Fri The Independent (Elizabeth City, North Carolina) Newspapers.com 

06 Apr 1928, Fri Arizona Republic (Phoenix, Arizona) Newspapers.com 

 

03 Jul 1941, Thu The Nashville Graphic (Nashville, North Carolina) Newspapers.com 19 Jul 1929, Fri Groton Times (Groton, Vermont) Newspapers.com

This is so funny about the time when ettiquite ruled the dinner table.  

16 Dec 1927, Fri The Burlington Free Press (Burlington, Vermont) Newspapers.com 

29 May 1928, Tue Tucson Citizen (Tucson, Arizona) Newspapers.com 

 

 

 

 


 

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