Lettuce

Lettuce is an annual plant of the daisy family mostly grown as a leaf vegetable, its leaves most often used raw in green salads though also appearing in sandwiches, wraps, soups and grilled dishes; its stem and seeds are sometimes used, as with celtuce, a variety grown for its edible stem. Beyond its main culinary use, lettuce has gathered religious and medicinal significance over centuries of human consumption; Europe and North America originally dominated its market, but by the late 20th century lettuce consumption had spread worldwide, and in 2023 world production of lettuce and chicory reached 28 million tonnes, led by China with 53 percent of the total. Lettuce was originally farmed by the ancient Egyptians.