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The History of Lettuce

part 1 (Ancient Lettuce)

Where does the name Lettuce come from?

Lactuca sativa is the botanical name for common garden lettuce.
The name is derived from the Latin word "lactis," meaning milk,
since a milky white sap is found in the stems and thicker veins of lettuce plants.

 

 

"Wild lettuce was gathered for millennia by hunter-gatherers and was still being gathered by humans at the time of the ancient Greeks. The latter probably began its cultivation, which was continued by the Roman.

The first cultivated letuuce was Lactuca serriola, which is native to the Mediterranean region." ---The Cambridge World History of Food, Kenneth F. Kiple and Kriemhild Conee Ornelas [Cambridge University:Cambridge] 2000, Volume Two (p. 1801) (Food History Timeline)

 

This was the fore runner to Arugula that is very old and even mentioned in the Old Testament in the book of Kings. Arugula was mentioned in the Old Testament Book of Kings (II Kings 4:39); It wasn't called Arugula as that is based from an Italian name it was refered to as Oroth. It was also mentioned in the Jewish Talmud and Mishna.

Pictures of lettuce show up on ancient Egyptian tombs.

The Egyptians thought of lettuce as a fertility medicine,

The relief carving at the left shows the god Min with a thistle like lettuce behind him. Lettuce was seen as a fertility medicine, most likely because of the phllic shape and the milky liquid that resembeled semen. However the lettuce wasn't comsumed like we do today in a salad, The milky sap was consumed and had medicinal qualities and the seeds produced by the flowers were pressed for oil and used in cooking.

Later the Greeks, Romans and also the Persians had started cultivating the lettuce and eating it as a salad. The Romans ate it after a meal before the dessert as the milky sap had a natural medicinal quality to cause drowsiness,

As different strains were developed this sap diminished and so did it's ability to be like a sleeping pill.

It is believed that a lettuce similar to Arugula but a variety similar to Romaine was also grown.

Links:
The History of Warm Salads

From Ancient Egypt to Outer Space The Delicious History of Lettuce

https://forward.com/food/337587/the-secret-jewish-history-of-arugula/

the Food History Timeline

Food in the Hood, The "Lascivious" Leaf, The Allure of Arugula

 

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Last updated October 20, 2019

 

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