Romaine is a pretty tight “head” of lettuce with long green crisp leaves. While lettuce is often overlooked it has a alot of health benefits and Romaine leads the way with its high Vitamin A content as well as other nutrients.
Lettuce came to the US in the 17th century. It was planted in California by Spanish Missionaries but took centuries to become popular once refrigeration became available and the railways were developed to deliver it cross country.
Nutrition
1 cup of shredded of romaine has a whopping 8 calories. It also has 1 gram each of fiber, protein, and sugar. It has a suspiciously high level of vitamin A, but after some internet fact-checking, the 81% of the daily recommended serving seems to check out! Romaine is also a good source of vitamin C, folate, iron, can calcium.
AKA
Romaine is also know as Cos.
Storage
Romaine and leaf lettuce should be washed and dried before storing in the refrigerator to remove their excess moisture. It should be stored either in a plastic bag or wrapped in a damp cloth and stored in the refrigerator crisper.