I've decided arugula is my favorite lettuce. I eat a lot of salad and I mean A LOT. After spending a lifetime of going for the crunchy lettuces like romaine, I'm totally bought into arugula. If you haven't tried it, here's why you should:
6) Arugula is a time saver. I've spent way too much time with romaine; cleaning lettuce, spinning the lettuce cleaner, chopping, chopping and then some more chopping. Whereas arugula usually comes bagged, already cleaned and doesn't require chopping.
5) Arugula saves money. Every notice the other bagged lettuce doesn't last long? It quickly turns into that mushy, transparent, wet, starting to disintegrate type lettuce? Arugula lasts longer, so I waste less and it saves me money.
4) Arugula is less in calories. I know I know, I'm splitting hairs here as all salad is low in calories, but stick with me on this one. Arugula has a naturally zesty and bold taste (it even says it on the bag - I know cause I just checked). You don't need to add as much dressing (if any at all) to get flavor. Just add lemon and some pepper and you have a salad that's tolerable (for those serious dieters). Try to do that with another lettuce and it's pretty darn bland! Have you looked at the calorie content of some other dressings? I love you ranch, but might as well get a Big Whopper!
3) Arugula is fun to say. Remember the old school commercials for Ricola cough drops? Click here to spark your memory. Try saying arugula like you’re the guy in Switzerland yelling from the top of a hill with the alphorn (that's the long horn that sits on the ground). Now try doing that with Boston bib lettuce. It just isn't the same is it?
2) Everything cool has a nickname. Did you know arugula is also known as rocket lettuce? Rocket lettuce! Such a cool name. What other lettuce has a nickname and a cool one at that?
1) Size matters. Yeap, I said it, size matters. I'm always hungry, always. So the fact that I can eat an unlimited amount of arugula without dressing helps to fill my bottomless pit. Arugula is also jammed packed full of nutrition (unlike iceberg) so the more the better!
If you're not convinced about arugula yet, let's hear it!
