the.com/arugula
a peppery little weed that bullied its way into fancy salads.
means A leafy salad green with a sharp, peppery, slightly bitter bite, eaten raw or wilted.
from From Italian — specifically the southern dialect form 'arucola,' a diminutive of Latin 'eruca,' the Romans' name for a peppery plant (likely a kind of rocket or colewort). The same Latin root traveled a different road into English as 'rocket,' via French 'roquette,' so arugula and rocket are essentially the same plant wearing two passports. 'Arugula' itself arrived in American English largely through Italian immigrants, which is why diners stateside say arugula while the British still ask for rocket.
- old name
- rocket, from Italian rucola
- ancient rep
- Romans considered it an aphrodisiac
- church ban
- monasteries restricted growing it for that reason
- flavor source
- bitter bite comes from mustard-family compounds
- fast grower
- harvestable in roughly four weeks
eruca vesicana — scientific name for the cultivated mediterranean leafy green vegetable used in salads worldwide
roquette — french and british name for the same plant, particularly common in european cuisine since medieval times