Origins and migration

Lettuce is believed to have gotten its start in the fertile delta of Egypt's Nile River and around the rocky rim of the Mediterranean Sea. It began as a weed, something like today's dandelions. It was domesticated over time as growers developed versions with larger and less bitter leaves.

The early Egyptians regarded lettuce as sacred, the favorite plant of their god Min, the goddess of fertility. Depictions of Min standing before a field of long-leafed lettuce have been found on a number of ancient Egyptian temples.

Gradually letuce spread eastward into Persia (today's Iran), India and China, and northwards into Europe. Christopher Columbus brought lettuce to the Americans. It was not until the 1600's, however, that iceberg lettuce, the variety eaten most often in the United States, was first developed. That happened in northern Europe.

The Big 4 in the U.S.

As we mentioned before, there are lots of different varieties of lettuce grown around the world. But not all are grown in the U.S. You are most likely to run into four basic types here. These are:

1. Iceberg lettuce, the relative newcomer. It looks something like a cabbage: a fairly solid head made of very tightly packed leaves.

Of the four basic types, Iceberg is the largest seller in most supermarkets. That's primarily because of its lower price. Of the four types, Iceberg is also the most difficult to grow in a home garden. However, commercial gardeners have gotten very good at producing it. So, mostly, that's who grows it.

Iceberg has the mildest flavor of the four types of lettuce. It's also the least nutritional. Iceberg's main virtue is its transportability. Because of its solid head, it travels well. If you buy iceberg lettuce in the supermarket, the chances are good that it came from California, 3,000 miles away on the other side of the country. That's where most of the U.S.'s iceberg lettuce is grown.