Irresistible Tang
Is it a salad? No, it’s a spice. Or is it? Anyway, it’s delicious. (Ingredient Special on Arugula)
This plant is known by many names, such as eruca, salad rocket, roquette, rucola, and arugula. It comes from the large family of Brassicaceae and has literally been cultivated for centuries. Even the Romans already knew and loved that special tang. In Asia, it was and still is grown partially for its spicy oil – the eruca oil – which is made from the seeds.
Eruca Sativa is not only delicious and very versatile in cooking – I have used it in quite a few of my recipes (like ,for example, in ‘Picalotta Fusion Salad’, ‘Desert Views’, ‘Pasta con Mezzo Balcone’, ‘Fellow Cooto Soup’, ‘Cousin Herb’ and ‘Patamistadas’) – it also has impressive nutritional values, including remarkable amounts of Vitamin C and Beta Carotene.
As a plant, it is especially robust and can be grown very easily in gardens and even on balconies. Plus, you can produce your own seeds to keep the annual plants growing over and over. The beautiful, small flowers that grow out of the older plants are very popular with bees and other useful insects, like ichneumon flies. Yes, and some birds — like our wild pigeons — are very fond of the young plants, so you better come up with some kind of scarecrow to keep them from grazing down the young greens. Also, you might want to keep a little distance between the arugula and cabbage plants. You know, typical family issues (all members of the Brassicaceae family).
If you want to grow it as a salad, the young leaves are the best choice; they taste mild and even kind of nutty. The older plants hint at their distant cousinship with mustard, and can become quite spicy; they are excellent for jazzing up sauces and other dishes. One downside, though, is that the older leaves can have raised levels of oxalic acid (see “Side Notes” below).
Oh yes, and just in case you are confused by the picture above because you know arugula to look slightly different: Don’t worry, there are at least two plants that are sold under the name “arugula”. One is the annual plant from above (Eruca sativa). Another is a plant that grows in a bush and can be harvested even in colder temperatures (Diplotaxis tenuifolia). The latter being also a member of the Brassicaceae clan (and therefore it does not love to grow next to Eruca sativa).
So, you could say that there is quite a lot more to arugula besides the interestingly shaped, deep green leaves. What I love, especially, about it is that unique combination of flavors. Very hard to match – and impossible to go without once you have started making food with it.
That irresistible tang.
Side Notes:
- I first learned about oxalic acid in my college days. My furry roommate – I am giving you a pointer: long ears, fluffy tail, cute nose – well, she kept getting sick from eating too much salad. Which kind of seems strange for a rabbit, I know. So, I went to a very friendly vet, and the lady said: “Yep, common problem. You better feed her only salads with low oxalic acid levels, and also make sure she drinks enough. You know, to keep the liquids flowing and not blocking bladder and kidneys with calcified stuff.” Which pretty much sums up the whole issue. Some foods that are generally very healthy have raised levels of oxalic acid (including spinach, for example), which may have some negative effects, as described above. With salads, the options are pretty easy: you can either choose some that are low in oxalic acid – any kind of endives are a good choice here, as well as typical “winter salads” (lamb’s lettuce, miner’s lettuce). The possible measures to diminish the unwanted acidic component include heating them up (with liquid) or blanching them. Also, as I keep saying, mix it up, don’t get too one-sided when it comes to food. Which is especially true in this case, as calcium will bind oxalic acid. So, put a bit of feta on top of your bowl, maybe.
If you want to know more, look up “Oxalic Acid”, the effects, and ways to neutralize it in the information tools of your public health services. And last but not least, if you have serious health issues, ask your doctor or a qualified nutritionist. - I know a lot of the facts on gardening from personal experience – including the original knowledge handed down from grandparents and parents. If I am not sure, I love to look up facts in books. One of my favorite authors on organic gardening and companion planting is Ortrud Grieb (see Table Talk ‘Best Beeties, Best Buddies’). Her new book, “Companion Planting – Create a Flourishing Kitchen Garden by Matchmaking Your Plants” (published at Bloomsbury), has just come out early this year. Ortrud is the best!