In THE BATTLE OF THE BARBECUE, steak was comfortably the winner, with burgers and chicken lagging behind in second and third place respectively in the poll. Surprisingly sausages flopped! Yet again the votes disappeared after a minor edit of the blog post (not the poll), but I'm 100 per cent confident that steak won. It was leading with well over 30 votes before and is leading with 10 votes now.
It's now the turn of lettuces to do battle. China by far is the biggest lettuce-growing country in the world. Lettuce begin, sorry for the bad pun!
Because there are only a few lettuce types, I've expanded the poll to include other green leaves that serve the same purpose as lettuce. So, beetroot greens, bok choy, chicory, cress, endive (both escarole and frisée), mizuna, rocket (aka arugula) and tatsoi are included in the poll. Please don't ask me to distinguish chicory from endive; I'm not sure the experts can do that! Though not a lettuce type but a mix of baby lettuce types, I'm including mesclun lettuce in the poll.
Prawn cocktail (aka shrimp cocktail to my American and European friends):
My favourite 'lettuces' are bok choy (cabbage is good for you, so the Germans say!), cress (especially watercress in a soup), rocket (aka arugula) and romaine lettuce (though I call it cos lettuce), with iceberg lettuce being the best lettuce - it has form and crunch unlike many saggy wilting lettuces. Iceberg lettuce is perfect for a prawn cocktail and a Chinese chicken lettuce wrap - see two photos immediately above and below.
Chinese chicken lettuce wrap:
But of the 'lettuces' I've eaten, my least favourite are dandelion leaves (taste like pee), escarole and frisée (endives are too close to chicory, a weed in my book), with chicory (scarred by drinking chicory root as a coffee substitute in my cheapskate student days) being the worst 'lettuce' in my culinary book.
What are your most and least favourite 'lettuces'?
What are your favourite 'lettuce' dishes?
Have you grown or do you grow 'lettuce'?
I've never grown lettuce in my garden, but my parents and grandparents did. When my Mum served me lettuce in a garden salad, I didn't like lettuce. But when her mother, my granny, served me lettuce in her salad, I loved lettuce. Her home-made salad dressing smothered over the lettuce was divine. Though not as good at making a salad dressing, my other granny, my Dad's mother, used to make a brilliant horseradish sauce which was always served up with roast beef. That was scrummy too!
Below is a poll where you can anonymously select your most favourite 'lettuce'. Unfortunately only one pick is allowed in the poll.
A poll on this site can only have 20 answer options. There was no room for dandelion leaves, oilseed lettuce (used for oil) and radish greens, of which only one of these omitted from the poll is a lettuce. But there's always the 'other' option for those lettuces and other green leaves not listed.
I think romaine lettuce will win the poll, but iceberg lettuce and rocket/aragula may figure strongly in the poll. May the best 'lettuce' win!
Please see the first comment below to see what has won each battle so far.
Iceberg lettuces growing in a field:
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19 comments
I use iceberg lettuce......I don't care for the asian lettuce(cabbage)
I'm pretty sure I'm part rabbit as I eat some sort of salad every day! Too many good choice to pick just one but I voted mesclun, cuz its a mix of yummy lettuce type greens. Arrugala, Romaine and Watercress are always in my fridge as well. The only one of these that never ever makes an appearance in my kitchen is iceberg. Its got a nice crunch if cleaned/stored properly but that's its only function in my book. Near worthless in the culinary world. Maybe in places like Sizzler but not any type of dining establishment I frequent. OK, yes I'm a greens snobs. Go ahead, say it, I know you're thinking it! Haha!!
@spunkycumfun Its one of those things like celery, it takes more calories to eat it than you're ingesting. Zero nutritional value. If I serve a salad at a dinner party or evening an intimate dinner for two, you can be sure there will be no iceberg!! Hahahaha!
@spunkycumfun silly, the salad is just one course!! Hahahaha!
@spunkycumfun Hmmm, many variables there. What type of party is it? What's the occasion? How many guests? What are the preferences of said guests? Afternoon or evening? Predinner cocktails? Wine with dinner? Formal or casual? Location? Couples or singles? Just off the top of my head! Hahahaha!
@spunkycumfun Oh shush, these questions come from an astute host/hostess, so deal!! OK, are we celebrating anything? Are there any allergies I need to be aware of? Is there anything that is an absolute no for any of the guests? No one better be vegan.
@spunkycumfun Haha, OK crabby pants!
Toss my salad! (just kidding)
What are your most and least favourite 'lettuces'? Iceberg
would be my favorite. And Romaine being my least favorite
as here in the US there is lots of samonella incidents related
to it so I avoid it as much as possible.
What are your favourite 'lettuce' dishes? I would say salad.
Have you grown or do you grow 'lettuce'? Can't grow it
here. Have never tried to grow it either.
Another great Battle here..
I love salads with a million variations including the greens. I prefer a mix of greens. Croutons, shredded carrots, green onion, cucumber, etc. You get the idea. Add some protein and its a meal for me.
I had a Tower Garden and grew my own greens hydroponically. It was bliss to pick hand fulls of greens each day to make a big salad for lunch.
My least favorite is arugula. Chefs say it has a peppery bite. I think its just bitter.
Butterhead and Mixed greens for me. Iceberg is what i was raised on, but its only good for its water content. Not nutrition . Thats my least fave.
You always seem to come up with a gazillion that i don't even know though. There cud be others that i like too...
I like romaine lettuce and glad I can find it at a local veggie stand these days 😁 I like to use different types of lettuce in my salads 🙂
The red leaf lettuce is pretty popular here, but the Japanese call it "sunny lettuce."
"...of the 'lettuces' I've eaten..." Sounds like a poem by Lewis carroll.
What are your most and least favourite 'lettuces'?
I'm not passionate about lettuce. Iceberg I reckon is my favorite.
Have you grown or do you grow 'lettuce'?
I never had much luck growing lettuce.
Iceberg lettuce would be my favorite and bibb lettuce. I can't eat romaine no dark greens I have A-fib. My favorite salads chef, and taco salad. Shrimp salad
Lettuce or "Let Us?". Giggles...