Generality
The lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a herbaceous plant belonging to the composite family (asteraceae).
Lettuce is a vegetable of great food importance, the leaves of which are consumed.
The color of the leaves also changes according to the location in the head: the external ones are darker, while the internal ones are almost totally light (due to the lower concentration of chlorophyll). Similarly, the crunchiness of the same is greater towards the heart, while on the outside the leaves are more tender even if thick.
The lettuce intended for cultivation comes from wild species, such as alpine, the perennis, the 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) 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 agro-food products in Italy. lettuce is often (and erroneously) called “salad” (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 in every season of the year.
OAK LEAF
Nutritional Characteristics
As can be seen from the table below, lettuce is a low-calorie vegetable, with an energetic prevalence of carbohydrates (simple carbohydrates) compared to proteins and lipids.
Nutritional values
The few peptides it contains are of low biological value and have no nutritional value. The fatty acids, even more deficient, are mainly of the unsaturated type. Cholesterol is absent and small amounts of phytosterols emerge.
In lettuce, fiber is present in good quantities and constitutes the main pseudo-nutrient.
This vegetable is also very rich in water, a very important aspect in the diet of the sportsman and the elderly (both at risk of dehydration), as well as the obese (who benefits from the satiating power obtained from the combination of fiber and water).
From a vitamin point of view, lettuce is rich in vitamin C (ascorbic acid); provides a fair amount of vitamin B2 (riboflavin) and contains a small dose of vitamin. AND.
As far as mineral salts are concerned, the most present is undoubtedly potassium, a fundamental element in the nutrition of sportsmen and subjects affected by primary arterial hypertension.
Gastronomy
Lettuce is a food to be consumed mainly fresh and raw, even if, for hygienic reasons, people who are potentially at risk (pregnant women, immunosuppressed, etc.), are advised to wash it thoroughly and disinfect it with diluted chlorine.
There are also recipes that involve cooking this vegetable; the best known are probably the "Lettuce Risotto" and the "Lettuce Soup".
Lettuce Risotto (for 4 people)
Ingrediants: 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, salt to taste and white pepper to taste.
Method:
- sauté the chopped onion and half of the julienne lettuce in a tablespoon of oil;
- toast the rice and deglaze 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)
Ingrediants: 400g of lettuce, 2 liters of water, 2 potatoes, 1 onion, ½ celery stick, ½ carrot, 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil, toasted stale bread to taste, salt and pepper to taste, grated parmesan to taste.
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.
- Pass through a vegetable mill and serve with toasted bread, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and grated cheese.
Apple and lettuce juice to purify yourself after the holidays
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Botany and Cultivation
There are mainly three categories of lettuce: winter and spring, spring and summer, and autumn. Its production is extended throughout Italy by means of techniques (open field or protected cultivation), marketing periods and different cultivars. Some lettuces can be sown in any season of the year. In any case, all types of lettuce are plants with an annual or biennial cycle, characterized by a very rapid development.
The spread of lettuce is attributable 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. moment in which the temperature crosses the threshold of -2 ° C; on the contrary, with night temperatures greater than 16 ° C and daily temperatures of 25 ° C, seed induction occurs.
As anticipated, there are many varieties of lettuce; the best known are certainly: the smooth, the longifolia (smooth and long, like the Roman), the happened (a hood, like the "Iceberg and the Trocadero) and the"acephala (Lollo, Botavie, Gentile etc.).
Lettuce is propagated (and cultivated) by sowing in the nursery; in winter or spring in plastic tunnels or in any case in shelter. The soil should consist of a mixture composed of a 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 parasites and snails. Winter and spring lettuces can be sown unprotected in August and September. After repotting, the lettuce spends the cold season sheltered. It should be planted in the ground. with a distance between the plants of about 40cm. It needs a moist, fresh, draining substrate with a neutral pH. If the soil is clayey, it is essential to correct it for a long period (years) with mature manure; if the pH is acid, on the other hand, correction with lime is necessary.
The plant should be bathed frequently, although not abundantly.
Lettuce is a highly 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 the ants; these, even if they do not feed on it, carry the fragments inside the anthill within a few hours; for this reason, it is sometimes necessary to eradicate them.
Against lettuce lice, the use of insecticide is necessary.
It rarely gets sick with rot, even if in this case the pathology extends to the entire crop; 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.
The sowing and transplanting of lettuce should be done every two weeks (not at once) to avoid producing too many heads at the same time.
From the mature lettuce plant it is possible to collect the seeds, which give rise to genetically very faithful plants.
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