Arugula

Appearance

''Eruca sativa'' grows 20–100 centimetres in height. The pinnate leaves have four to ten small, deep, lateral lobes and a large terminal lobe. The flowers are 2–4 cm in diameter, arranged in a corymb in typical Brassicaceae fashion, with creamy white petals veined in purple, and having yellow stamens; the sepals are shed soon after the flower opens. The fruit is a siliqua 12–35 millimetres long with an apical beak, and containing several seeds. The species has a chromosome number of 2''n'' = 22.

Naming

The Latin adjective ''sativa'' in the plant's binomial name is derived from ''satum'', the supine of the verb ''sero'', meaning "to sow", indicating that the seeds of the plant were sown in gardens. ''Eruca sativa'' differs from ''E. vesicaria'' in having early deciduous sepals. Some botanists consider it a subspecies of ''Eruca vesicaria'': ''E. vesicaria'' subsp. ''sativa''. Still others do not differentiate between the two.

The English common name ''rocket'' derives from the French ''roquette'', a diminutive of the Latin word ''eruca'', which once designated a particular plant in the family Brassicaceae. ''Arugula'' , the common name now widespread in the United States and Canada, entered American English from a non-standard dialect of Italian. The standard Italian word is ''rucola'', a diminutive of the Latin "eruca". The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' dates the first appearance of "arugula" in American English to a 1960 article in ''The New York Times'' by food editor and prolific cookbook writer Craig Claiborne.

It is sometimes conflated with ''Diplotaxis tenuifolia'', known as "perennial wall rocket", another plant of the family Brassicaceae that is used in the same manner.

Habitat

''Eruca sativa'' typically grows on dry, disturbed ground and is also used as a food by the larvae of some moth species, including the garden carpet moth. ''Eruca sativa'' roots are also susceptible to nematode infestation.

Evolution

A pungent, leafy green vegetable resembling a longer-leaved and open lettuce, ''Eruca sativa'' is rich in vitamin C and potassium. In addition to the leaves, the flowers, young seed pods and mature seeds are all edible.


Grown as an edible herb in the Mediterranean area since Roman times, it was mentioned by various classical authors as an aphrodisiac, most famously in a poem long ascribed to Virgil, ''Moretum'', which contains the line: "''et Venerem revocans eruca morantem''" . Some writers assert that for this reason during the Middle Ages it was forbidden to grow rocket in monasteries. It was listed, however, in a decree by Charlemagne of 802 as one of the pot herbs suitable for growing in gardens. Gillian Riley, author of the ''Oxford Companion to Italian Food'', states that because of its reputation as a sexual stimulant, it was "prudently mixed with lettuce, which was the opposite" . Riley continues that "nowadays rocket is enjoyed innocently in mixed salads, to which it adds a pleasing pungency".

Rocket was traditionally collected in the wild or grown in home gardens along with such herbs as parsley and basil. It is now grown commercially in many places, and is available for purchase in supermarkets and farmers' markets throughout the world. It is also naturalised as a wild plant away from its native range in temperate regions around the world, including northern Europe and North America. In India, the mature seeds are known as Gargeer. This is the same name in Arabic, جرجير , but used in Arab countries for the fresh leaves.

Mild frost conditions hinder the plant's growth and turn the green leaves red.

Uses

In Italy, raw rocket is often added to a pizza at the end of or just after baking. It is also used cooked in Apulia, in southern Italy, to make the pasta dish ''cavatiéddi'', "in which large amounts of coarsely chopped rocket are added to pasta seasoned with a homemade reduced tomato sauce and pecorino", as well as in "many unpretentious recipes in which it is added, chopped, to sauces and cooked dishes" or in a sauce used as a condiment for cold meats and fish. In the Slovenian Littoral, it is often combined with boiled potatoes, used in a soup, or served with the cheese burek, especially in the town of Koper.
It is also used with salad, tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
In Rome rucola is used with special meat dish called ''straccietti'' that are thin slices of beef with raw rocket and Parmesan cheese.

A sweet, peppery digestive alcohol called ''rucolino'' is made from rocket on the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples. This liqueur is a local specialty enjoyed in small quantities following a meal in the same way as a limoncello or grappa.

In Brazil and Argentina, where its use is widespread, rocket is eaten raw in salads. A popular combination is rocket mixed with mozzarella cheese and sun-dried tomatoes.

In Cyprus, the plant is used in salads and omelettes. An omelette with rocket is common in Cypriot restaurants.

In the Gulf Countries the plant is used raw in the salads mixed with other vegetables or alone. In Eastern Saudi Arabia it is widely believed the plant has a lot of health benefits and recommended for newlywed couples.

In Egypt, the plant is commonly eaten raw as a side dish with many meals, with ful medames for breakfast, and regularly accompanies local seafood dishes.

In Turkey, similarly, the rocket is eaten raw as a side dish or salad with fish, but is additionally served with a sauce of extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

In West Asia and Northern India, ''Eruca'' seeds are pressed to make taramira oil, used in pickling and as a salad or cooking oil. The seed cake is also used as animal feed.