Leafy Facts

• Lettuce is a member of the daisy and thistle family and originates from the Mediterranean
  basin. Bundles of stem lettuce have been found in paintings on Egyptian tombs dating from about
  4500 years ago.

• The first written accounts regarding the cultivation of lettuce appear on the royal
  tables of Persia in 550 B.C. Greek authors including Hippocrates, Aristotle and Galen describe
  lettuce as a popular vegetable.

• Lettuce was introduced to northern and western Europe by the Romans and was among the
  first vegetables brought to the 'New World' by Christopher Columbus.

• Lettuce is very low in calories and contains no sodium, fat or cholesterol. It does however, provide Vitamins A & C, iodine, potassium, thiamine, riboflavin, calcium, iron and folic acid, as well as beta-carotene, which our bodies convert to Vitamin A.

Find out more about the wide variety of leaves you can find in your bag of salad.