Lettuce is a leafy green vegetable that is used to make most salads and adds a pleasant crunch to sandwiches. Understanding the various types of lettuce can assist shoppers and diners in deciding which is best for them. Crisphead lettuce, romaine lettuce, looseleaf lettuce, and butterhead lettuce are the four most common types of lettuce. Many people mistakenly believe that some leafy greens commonly found in salad bowls are lettuce, but they are not.
Crisphead lettuce is one of the most common types of lettuce among North American diners. The pale green leaves of this variety, which includes iceberg lettuce, grow from a central core and are tightly clustered, forming a cabbage-like ball shape. Crisphead lettuces live up to their name by being extremely crispy and having a mild, watery flavor. Crisphead lettuce is the least nutritious of the four main types of lettuce.
The leaves of romaine lettuce, like crisphead lettuce, grow from a central stalk. These medium to dark green leaves, instead of clustering to form a ball shape, project upward from their stalk, forming a blossom shape. The main ingredient in most Caesar salads is Romaine lettuce, which is usually crisp and has more flavor than crisphead lettuce. Romaine lettuce is one of the most nutritious types of lettuce due to its high vitamin content.
Looseleaf lettuce leaves do not cluster around a central stalk, but instead grow individually on stems, as the name implies. Red leaf lettuce and oak leaf lettuce are two common loose-leaf lettuce varieties found in the produce section. The leaves of this group of lettuces are soft and have a flavor that is slightly stronger than romaine.
Butterhead lettuce leaves grow out of a central stalk and project upward to form a blossom-shaped head, similar to romaine lettuce. This group of lettuces, which includes the Bibb and Boston varieties, is typically softer and brighter in color than romaine. It has a generally mild flavor.
Iceberg, crisphead, looseleaf, or butterhead lettuce, along with other greens like arugula, spinach, or endive, can be found in many restaurant salads and store-bought salad blends. Because these latter greens frequently appear in salads, many diners mistakenly believe they are lettuce. Although these leafy vegetables are related to lettuce, they are not lettuce.