Lettuce

From the genus Lactuca, a common plant whose leaves are eaten in salads. More than 4,000 years ago, lettuce was cultivated not only for its leaves, but also for the oil contained in its seeds. Wild or cultivated, leaf lettuce was known all over the ancient world bordering the Mediterranean and even China. Lettuce was served on the tables of Persian kings in the 6th century BC, but Romans evidently waited until the 1st century AD to eat lettuce, one variety of which they named after themselves (romaine).

Lettuce was valued for its assumed medicinal qualities. There's a story that Caesar called an astrologer when his physician was unable to treat him; the astrologer decided on the emperor's prescription while lying in the lettuce patch: Caesar was to eat only lettuce. When he recovered, Caesar erected a statue and altar to show his gratitude. The ancient Egyptians considered lettuce sacred, using it in ceremonies as an offering to the fertility goddess, since it was believed to be an aphrodisiac, which is amusing when we consider that, during the Middle Ages, monks were fed a daily ration of lettuce to help them preserve their chastity. The Greeks and Romans found other virtues and medicinal qualities in lettuce, such as eating lettuce to end insomnia.

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