An Ode to Iceberg Lettuce

With an expensive product or complicated preparation method, you can quickly impress everyone, but sometimes it’s a simple, humble product that you’re actually craving the most. Right? That’s why today we’re paying tribute to the least celebrated but perhaps most widely used type of lettuce: iceberg lettuce.

Many a foodie turns up their nose at this lettuce star. No, you really need romaine, butter lettuce or lolo biondo. But why, actually? I’ll freely admit that I don’t often make a salad with iceberg lettuce, but as a topping on a dish, iceberg lettuce is the very best there is. So crunchy, fresh and watery. Sorry, but can you imagine a shoarma sandwich without this divine topping?

Perfect shape

Let’s start by talking about the shape. A head of lettuce in the fridge is almost always annoying; I always accidentally tear all the leaves apart when I try to grab something else. Once you need the lettuce, you have to remove those huge leaves one by one. Bloody annoying. Iceberg lettuce has the perfect round shape, and the leaves are wrapped very tightly around one another, making it super easy to cut thin strips. Just put the whole head on your board and start slicing. There you go!

Chili con carne

In any case, your shoarma or döner sandwich isn’t complete without crunchy iceberg lettuce, but what else do you eat it with? Anything fatty and spicy, really. FavorFlav’s Renée, for example, wouldn’t dream of eating a plate of chili con carne without a little crunchy iceberg lettuce on top. Pita breads with falafel, baguette with a boiled egg and mayonnaise, a quick wrap with chicken. Or take a whole leaf and serve a shrimp cocktail in it, then pop the whole thing into your mouth in one go. Bite, swallow, gone.