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Celtuce () (''Lactuca sativa'' var. ''augustana'',Masatoshi Yamaguchi ''angustata'', or ''asparagina''), also called stem lettuce, celery lettuce, asparagus lettuce, or Chinese lettuce, is a cultivar of
lettuce Lettuce (''Lactuca sativa'') is an annual plant of the family Asteraceae mostly grown as a leaf vegetable. The leaves are most often used raw in Green salad, green salads, although lettuce is also seen in other kinds of food, such as sandwiche ...
grown primarily for its thick
stem Stem or STEM most commonly refers to: * Plant stem, a structural axis of a vascular plant * Stem group * Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics Stem or STEM can also refer to: Language and writing * Word stem, part of a word respon ...
or its leaves, which are known as A-choy. It is used as a
vegetable Vegetables are edible parts of plants that are consumed by humans or other animals as food. This original meaning is still commonly used, and is applied to plants collectively to refer to all edible plant matter, including edible flower, flo ...
. In China, the family is informally called ''woju'' (), which is also the name of a cultivar. It is especially popular in both
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
and
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
, where the stem is interchangeably called ''wosun'' () or ().


History

Popular sources identify it as originating in the
Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...
region and then being brought to China during the
Tang dynasty The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
, about A.D. 600–900.


Cultivation

It can be grown from seed and is sown from April through May in the Northern Hemisphere. The seeds can be planted in a set bed or a temporary nursery bed and then transplanted to the growing site. They should be spread 30 cm apart each way. The young (edible) leaves are ready about 4–5 weeks after planting and the edible stems are ready when about 30 cm tall. They are usually harvested between July and September. The plant can suffer from
aphid Aphids are small sap-sucking insects in the Taxonomic rank, family Aphididae. Common names include greenfly and blackfly, although individuals within a species can vary widely in color. The group includes the fluffy white Eriosomatinae, woolly ...
attacks.


Uses


Culinary

The pale green leaves, which are tender, and white stems can be eaten raw (in salads) or cooked. It can be pickled, grilled, roasted, or stir-fried. It is mild but nutty, with a slight smoky aftertaste. It is high in vitamins. The stem is usually harvested at a length of around 15–20 cm and a diameter of around 3–4 cm. It is crisp, moist, and mildly flavored, and typically prepared by slicing and then
stir frying Stir frying ( zh, c= 炒, p=chǎo, w=ch'ao3, cy=cháau) is a cooking technique in which ingredients are fried in a small amount of very hot oil while being stirred or tossed in a wok. The technique originated in China and in recent centuries ...
with more strongly flavored ingredients. It is also available as pickled stems. In China the pickled stem is often eaten as a side dish. In the US, celtuce is being used as a gluten-free pasta substitute.


See also

* List of vegetables * ''''


References

Stem vegetables Lettuce Taiwanese cuisine Chinese cuisine {{Vegetable-stub