Rocket / Arugula

Also known asArugula · Rocket · Rucola · Eruca vesicaria · Eruca sativa

Name: Rocket, also called arugula (Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa) — a leafy salad green with lobed leaves and a peppery, slightly bitter, nutty flavour. Rocket is the British name and arugula the American one. A separate page covers it from a leafy-green angle.

Description

Rocket is native to the Mediterranean region and has been eaten since Roman times, when it was also used as a flavouring and an aphrodisiac in folk belief. It has been widely used in Italian cuisine as rucola, on pizza, with pasta and with Parmesan and balsamic, and became fashionable around the world from the 1990s.

Young leaves are mild and tender, while older leaves become more peppery and bitter. Wild rocket is smaller and more pungent than cultivated types. It is a cruciferous vegetable, related to mustard, with the same peppery compounds.

Main nutrition value

Rocket provides vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folate and calcium, and is naturally high in dietary nitrates, as are many leafy greens.

How best to be consumed

Rocket is eaten raw and added to dishes at the end.

1. Toss with olive oil, lemon, Parmesan and shaved fennel for a classic salad.
2. Pile on pizza after baking, or stir into pasta at the end.
3. Blend into pesto in place of basil.
4. Add to sandwiches, wraps and eggs.
5. Store in a bag with a paper towel in the fridge, and use within a few days.

Overconsumption could cause…

Rocket is safe and healthy in food amounts.

1. Possible effects on warfarin and similar blood-thinning medicines because of the high vitamin K content, so keep intake steady rather than avoiding them.
2. Possible effects on thyroid function in people with an underactive thyroid or iodine deficiency if very large amounts are eaten raw, since brassicas contain goitrogens; normal cooked servings are fine.
3. Bitterness and stomach irritation from large amounts of mature, very peppery leaves.
4. Food poisoning risk from poorly washed bagged leaves, so rinse before eating.

GroupsCruciferous VegetablesLeafy Green VegetablesCruciferous (cabbage family)Low fatLow sodiumRich in vitamin CFresh

Related foodsMustard GreensKaleGai Lan / Chinese BroccoliBok Choy / Pak ChoyCollard GreensWatercress

Wikipedia — Eruca vesicaria, used for origin, naming and history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eruca_vesicaria