[Arugula (US); Rocket (UK);
Roquette (France); Rucola, Rughetta (Italy); B. Eruca sativa (garden)
B. Eruca vesicaria (wild)]
[Arugula (US); Rocket (UK);
Roquette (France); Rucola, Rughetta (Italy); B. Eruca sativa (garden)
B. Eruca vesicaria (wild)]
This popular salad green of Mediterranean origin has been used since at least Roman times. Almost unknown in the U.S. a decade ago it is today the "must have" green for yuppie salads, so supermarkets stock precut and washed bags of "baby" arugula. The leaves are small and tender but have a distinctly mustardy bite, backed by an unusually complex flavor. Some varieties have leaves less deeply cut than the photo specimen and the leaves are very deeply cut on the wild version. Photo © cg1.
More on Cabbage & Mustard Greens.
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Buying & Storing: Look for Arugula in any market that serves a yuppified community. Caution: The biggest, most beautiful arugula I've ever seen I purchased at a Whole Foods Market. It also proved to be the worst arugula I'd ever tasted - worthless except as an addition to the compost heap. Arugula does not keep well even refrigerated and will start turning yellow in just a day or three. Use it soon after purchase. Prep & Cooking: This green is best used raw in salads and the like. Cooked it tends to be mushy and flavorless. Some recipes do call for it in soups, but I prefer to use some other green. |
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©Andrew Grygus
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