Arugula

Arugula, also known as rocket, rughetta, roquette or rucola, is a type of lettuce. Scientifically, it consists of three species: Eruca sativa[?], Diplotaxis[?] tenuifolia and Diplotaxis muralis.

Arugula was grown as a vegetable in the Mediterranean area since the Roman times; it was considered to be an aphrodisiac. Still, it was not really cultivated and not scientifically researched until the 1990s. It was usually collected in the wild. Nowadays it is cultivated in various places, especially in Veneto, and available in all of Europe.

Arugula is especially used in salads, but also cooked as a vegetable with pasta or dry meat. It is rich in vitamin C and iron.

External links:

• Rocket: a Mediterranean crop for the world (http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/234.pdf)