A prime example of a crisphead is iceberg lettuce: its round head is made up of tightly packed, crunchy leaves. Characteristics: Although Little Gem lettuce resembles baby romaine, it's actually a full grown variety. If you do plan on cooking them, be sure to make it a quick sauté or wilting; anything else will cause the delicate greens to lose their unique characteristics. By using The Spruce Eats, you accept our, Batavia Lettuce (a.k.a. The edges of baby arugula aren't as defined. Alternative Names: Celtuce, celery lettuce, asparagus lettuce, Chinese lettuce, wosun, stalk lettuce. It's also wonderful in sandwiches or wraps and can even be sliced in half and charred on the grill, or quartered and served as hors d'oeuvres. A smaller, compact variety of cos lettuce. The delicate flavor is well suited to light vinaigrettes (ginger vinaigrette is lovely) and lemony dressings. This is the most-commonly known lettuce of all varieties. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement (updated as of 1/1/21) and Your California Privacy Rights. Characteristics: A type of chicory, this mildly bitter leafy green is large and crisp. It stays fresh longer than any other type of lettuce, if kept at a constant cool temperature. For clarification's sake, types of lettuces can be generally placed in one of four categories: looseleaf, butterhead, crisphead, and romaine. The elongated leaves of romaine and its thick white rib are its outstanding physical characteristics. Ad Choices, 18 Types of Lettuce and the Best Ways to Eat Each One, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, food styling by Katherine Sacks, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Prop Styling by Alex Brannian, Food Styling by Ali Nardi, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Olivia Mack Anderson, Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Photo by Stephen Kent Johnson, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, Photo by Chelsea Kyle, Food Styling by Rhoda Boone, Bibb Lettuce, Chicken, and Cherry Salad With Creamy Horseradish Dressing, Watercress and Persimmon Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette, Endive, Romaine, and Orange Salad for Two, Endive with Tart Apple Dressing and Blue Cheese, Escarole with Italian Sausage and White Beans, Hot Honey Pork Chops with Escarole and White Beans, Frisée and Carrot Ribbon Salad with Za'atar-Lemon Vinaigrette, Green Bean and Tuna Salad with Basil Dressing, Green Leaf Lettuce, Pomegranate, and Almond Salad, Mâche Salad with Blood Oranges, Pistachios, and Pomegranate, Baby Greens, Pear, Walnut, and Blue Cheese Salad, Grilled Lettuces with Crème Fraîche and Avocado, Spring Greens with Quick-Pickled Vegetables. It is also a tasty add-on in the Japanese mochi soup often eaten at New Year's. Summer Bibb Butterhead Lettuce. This is another one that will last for a few weeks in your fridge without wilting and can be eaten raw or cooked. The bold coloring usually indicates that the lettuce in question is an heirloom or cross-bread variety. We also spend an inordinate amount of time scouring farmer’s markets for new lettuce varieties and in conversation with other lettuce lovers and lettuce growers. Use cress as soon as possible, removing any yellowed or wilted leaves. How to use it: The leaves can be eaten like any other lettuce variety: raw or wilted into soups. How to use it: This delicate, tender lettuce acts a great bed for other ingredients and won't compete with other flavors. Arugula is also a great way to add a kick to hearty dishes like chicken with bread salad and arugula. In general, salad greens are cool weather crops, at their best in spring and early summer before high heats and long days make them bolt and turn bitter. Not too long ago, some of these greens were deemed fancy or hard-to-find, but they have made their way into the mainstream and can now be found at local grocery stores and farmers markets. Alternate names: Sucrine, Sugar Cos, baby gem. Probably the most popular and the cheapest of the lettuce varieties, Iceberg is the most used on burgers and in salads due to its mild, neutral taste and massively crunchy texture. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Condé Nast. How to use it: Arugula can be eaten raw, in bold-flavored salads; wilted into pasta; cooked into a gratin; or blended into a pesto-like spread. The bright coloring makes it stand out. How to use it: Frisée's frilly texture is best enjoyed raw or slightly warmed through. Baby Beet Greens: When the leaves of the beet top are immature, they are tender and slightly spicy. Alternate names/varieties: Batavian endive, scarole, broad-leaved endive. Look for both green leaf and red leaf lettuce with tender, slightly ruffled leaves, which varies from medium to dark … Alternate names/varieties: Butter lettuce, Boston, bibb (limestone), ... How to use it: For lovers of bitter lettuce, this essential chicory is crisp and velvety when eaten raw. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. Characteristics: Iceberg is known for being very crisp, watery, and refreshing. The small jagged edges that make mizuna look like miniature oak leaves add a lot of texture. Back to story. The rich, outer leaves and delicate inner leaves are crisp, with a sweet flavour. It grows wild in streams in Northern America and Europe but is easily cultivated with the right irrigation. Be sure to wash all forms of cress thoroughly, since they often grow in sandy ground. Red leaf has a burgundy tint and mild flavor, similar to that of green leaf, while oak leaf is spicier and nuttier. Their pale green, white, and yellow coloring is a result of the producer shielding them from light during the growing process. Frisée is closely related to escarole. So to prevent bitter lettuce, grow it in semi-shade or in the cooler months in hot climates. Mizuna is an Asian variety of mustard greens. When picking lettuce, you’ll know it is bitter if there is a milky substance oozing out of the cut part of the lettuce. They need to be young for the best flavor raw; larger, older greens will take on a bitter edge that gets tamed by cooking. Characteristics: These curled leaves tinged with yellow and green are slightly bitter in taste, have a crunchy stem, and add a lot of texture. It can be a stand-alone salad green, or mixed with other chicories or sweet lettuces. May 16, 2017 - Explore Brandy Bounds's board "Bitter Lettuce" on Pinterest. These tight, compact heads are packed with flavor and crunch. And as this variety's name implies, the texture of a butter lettuce is indeed smooth like butter. Far from the shrink-wrapped iceberg lettuce we all know so wellperfectly round and crunchy, almost all water, and able to last a long time after harvestthe multitude of lettuce varieties available at the grocery store and farmers markets offer a wide range of textures, colors, and flavors. Purslane is often foraged; it grows wild and people pick it in meadows and parks. Most lettuce varieties are eaten fresh and are commonly served as the base of green salads. How to use it: Looseleaf lettuce can go wherever you want it to go. The Mishnah specifies five types of bitter herbs eaten on the night of Passover: ḥazzeret (lettuce), ʿuleshīn (endive / chicory), temakha, ḥarḥavina (sweet clover or Eryngium creticum), and maror (likely Sonchus oleraceus, a type of dandelion). How to use it: Cress has a bold flavor, but delicate texture. You can also choose varieties that are best suited to your climate. The main ingredient in Caesar salads, romaine has a crisp texture and a strong, but not bitter, taste. Larger leaves can be torn into bite-sized pieces when cleaning. Spring mix salad green, deep red, or sliced in salad and acts a bit a! Or cooked—especially when paired with beans in a Caesar salad: they have a bit of ranch for the... They are damaged or wilted into soups plant in the early morning the best to! Looseleaf lettuces go from seed to salad in 7 great bed for other ingredients and wo n't overpower a.. Is grown as a cool-weather vegetable, thriving when the Caesar salad, you accept,... 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