Y
ou mightthinklettuceis a ratheruninspiringtopicofdiscussion.
It’s easytodisregardlettucesasthemostblandofallvegetables:the
tastelessfillerweresentpayingforat restaurants;thewarm,flaccid
item whichthen-treasurer,PaulKeating,comparedoppositionleader
John Hewson’sparliamentaryperformancetobeingfloggedwith.Yetlettuce
has a long and fascinatingassociationwithhumans.
Lettuce wasdomesticatedbytheEgyptiansby 3000 BC,probablyforthe
oil that comes fromitsseeds,orasmedicine.Ancientlettuceshavemilkysap,
from which wederiveourword‘lettuce’,viatheLatinwordformilk,‘lactus’.
This bitter sap hasnarcoticqualities.Throughoutmostofitshistorylettuce
was eaten to inducesleep.
Egyptian lettuceslookednothinglikeours.Theygrewa metretall,with
plain, overlappingleaves.SuchlettucesappeareverywhereinEgyptianart.
They were sacredtoMin,thegodoffertility,andtheirwhitesapwassaid
to be the sourceofhisendlessvirility.
By contrast,theancientGreeksthoughtlettucetookawaya man’sdesire
by making himsleepy.TheRomansweremorekeen,however,andbythefirst
century AD, PlinytheElderdescribesninevarieties.HealsowritesoftheRoman
upper class habitofeatinglettuceat thecommencementofa meal;a custom
carried down toustodayintheformofa saladstarter.
Roman lettuceswouldhavelookedmorefamiliartous,beingshorter,with
large, succulentleavesandprobablydevoidofthebitter,soporificsap.ButforFar frombeinga blandsaladfiller,thisunderrated
vegetable canbea truegem,writesSIMONRICKARD.
Lettuce
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