By Niveditha Kalyanaraman
November 11th, 2023
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Grouped under a larger category of salad greens, these vegetables are most often served raw, dressed and tossed with other salad ingredients. Different types of lettuce can add quite a bit of texture and flavor to whatever you're making. Types of lettuces can be generally placed in one of four categories: looseleaf, butterhead, crisphead, and romaine. Here are 7 types of lettuce.
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Originating from the Mediterranean, this green tastes earthy and slightly tart with a bold, peppery kick. It can be eaten raw, in salads or pastas.
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A type of head lettuce, the leaves of Boston and bibb lettuces are soft. The texture of a butter lettuce is indeed smooth like butter. The tender leaves of butter lettuce work best in delicate salads, but their broad, flexible leaves can also be used as a wrap.
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Coral is a loose leaf variety and can be bright green, deep red, or speckled. The sturdy, crisp leaves have tight, frilly curls and a mild flavor.
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Sold in bunches, mature watercress has a tough, fibrous stem and small green leaves. Cress has a bold flavor, but delicate texture. Use it in sophisticated-but-simple side salads, toss them into a saucy noodle dish, or use them to top a spring pizza.
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Endive is a type of chicory. The unique oval shape, soft, satiny texture, and slight bitterness all mean it's a great addition to any salad.
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Iceberg is known for being very crisp, watery, and refreshing. It forms in basketball-sized heads, with large, tightly packed, pale-green leaves.
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You can find this deep-red-purple vegetable sold either as a compact round head, or shaped like its relative, endive. The bright coloring makes it stand out. It can be a stand-alone salad green, or mixed with other chicories or sweet lettuces.
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