# WTF is up with Iceberg Lettuce **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [July 21, 2009, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785 "2009-07-21T21:38:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/21 "2009-07-21T23:18:47Z")
I think it’s a bit of a holdover from the days when dinner was a cut of beef and a potato, with no real variety or taste. My dad ate it, and he only ate the least offensive vegetables out there. His only contact with spinach was if it was creamed. I didn’t learn until I moved out that real spinach was _good_! ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/22 "2009-07-21T23:23:01Z")
To be fair, creamed spinach _is_ teh awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/23 "2009-07-21T23:25:40Z")
> [@teela\_brown](#): > > Also, I find it to taste sweet, so it’s a good foil to stronger, bitterer greens. And more than that. Some of us are supertasters. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supertaster) gives a percentage of 25% for people of European descent, but I doubt that the number is known well for any population. I eat a fair variety of lettuces, even though I was brought up on iceberg like everybody else from my generation. Even so, I find some of the greens used in lettuce too bitter to eat and I still consider a crisp leaf of iceberg to be a perfect addition to a sandwich. There are food snobs who fail to appreciate this, just as there are those individuals who consider everybody else’s tastes but their own to be looked down upon. It must be nice to rise so far above the lowest common denominator that you can’t see them from your height. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/24 "2009-07-21T23:26:05Z")
> [@Liberal](#): > > It makes great BLTs, especially with home grown tomatoes, a bit of salt and pepper, and of course Duke’s mayonnaise. > > Last edited by Liberal; Today at 04:19 PM. Reason: Misspelled “of”. I mean Jesus. Jesus makes BLTs? Awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/25 "2009-07-21T23:29:25Z")
Slightly off topic, but related. I “heard” that competitive eaters, eat a ton of it the night before a competition, because it stretches out their stomachs for the next day. Anyone ever heard about this? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [July 21, 2009, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/26 "2009-07-21T23:41:24Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > Cite? I’d rather have a cite for this part: > [@SmashTheState](#): > > I recall the anticipation I felt when the first Taco Bell arrived here in Ottawa. I was excited because I had heard from so many people how addictive and delicious the food was. What kind of culinary wasteland is Ottawa, that people talk about how great _Taco fucking Bell_ tastes? Who are these people, and what sort of horrible crap have they been ingesting that they’d consider a dog food taco to be “addictive and delicious?” ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 12:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/27 "2009-07-22T00:25:10Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Why do so many people use this ingredient? Same reason they use white bread? ---
**Author:** ![Hockey\_Monkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a183cd/32.png) [@Hockey\_Monkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hockey_Monkey)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/28 "2009-07-22T00:51:36Z")
> [@Hunter\_Hawk](#): > > [Recent article](http://www.saveur.com/article/Our-Favorite-Foods/The-Ice-Queen) from _Saveur_. I really liked that article. I don’t get all the hate for iceberg lettuce. It tastes good! It tastes crisp! It tastes clean! It’s perfect for BLT’s! ---
**Author:** ![PeskiPiksi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e495f1/32.png) [@PeskiPiksi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PeskiPiksi)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/29 "2009-07-22T00:56:19Z")
Iceberg is also great for [lettuce wraps](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_yiXt2cQyR_I/SHhl5eK-oKI/AAAAAAAAAyk/EOlGVp0Jyjs/s400/Asian%2BChicken%2BLettuce%2BWraps.jpg). Cool and crisp surrounding meaty, spicy and warm. Yum. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/30 "2009-07-22T01:00:40Z")
I’m not lying, nor intentionally snarky. Romaine is my preference for a salad; I use Iceberg whenever I need to boost dietary fiber. Romaine sucks for BLTs and tacos, too, giving the nod to Iceberg. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/31 "2009-07-22T01:03:02Z")
Iceberg lettuce doesn’t “leach” the nutrients out of anything, that’s what cauliflower is for. I like spicy food as well as the next person (o.k., more than the next person) but iceberg is a fine component of salad, adding texture and (if well-grown) is subtly sweet. My only anti-iceberg gripe is that it isn’t particularly easy to grow in the garden. So all you anti-iceberg snobs, delicately imbibe your chicory and baby field greens. I’ll be cutting the heart out of a giant head of iceberg and making deafeningly loud crunching sounds as you pout in distaste. ---
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/32 "2009-07-22T01:05:16Z")
Personally, I have an irrational love for a “wedge” salad, and as far as I know from my experience, Iceberg is the only kind of lettuce you can use for that. So it’s yay iceberg for me. But I agree that for most purposes it’s useless. ---
**Author:** ![CrazyCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dfb087/32.png) [@CrazyCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CrazyCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/33 "2009-07-22T01:08:29Z")
It does have a taste, a slightly sweet, green taste like a really muted cucumber. It’s just not an in-your-face taste like a lot of greens have. As someone who is _really_ sensitive to bitter tastes, I’m not a fan of some of the “flavorful” greens used in salads. Bland is better than vile, any day. Iceberg isn’t my favorite lettuce by any stretch, but I certainly won’t turn my nose up at it. ---
**Author:** ![Hunter\_Hawk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/50afbb/32.png) [@Hunter\_Hawk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hunter_Hawk)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/34 "2009-07-22T01:09:55Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > I’ll be cutting the heart out of a giant head of iceberg No need to cut; just whack the stem straight down onto the counter, then yank it out. ---
**Author:** ![mswas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e99b99/32.png) [@mswas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mswas)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/35 "2009-07-22T01:22:31Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > I’m not lying, nor intentionally snarky. Romaine is my preference for a salad; I use Iceberg whenever I need to boost dietary fiber. Romaine sucks for BLTs and tacos, too, giving the nod to Iceberg. I disagree completely. If it’s a choice of iceberg or nothing I’ll go with nothing please. Romaine in a taco is far superior. I had an iceberg salad yesterday at a Japanese restaurant and I just couldn’t eat it. It was nasty. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/36 "2009-07-22T01:27:22Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > So all you anti-iceberg snobs, delicately imbibe your chicory and baby field greens. I’ll be cutting the heart out of a giant head of iceberg and making deafeningly loud crunching sounds as you pout in distaste. You’re throwing the heart away, right? Because I like iceburg well enough, but only the noticeably green leaves. The closer to the core you get, the less edible it becomes. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/37 "2009-07-22T01:36:45Z")
> [@mswas](#): > > Romaine in a taco is far superior. _Romaine?_ Gah-ross! Iceberg if it’s beast or fowl, cabbage if it’s fish. I second the lettuce wrap love. That’s what’s for dinner tomorrow night. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/38 "2009-07-22T01:37:19Z")
I’ve been known to eat an entire head of iceberg at night for a snack when I want something crunch with virtually zero calories. Not bad with some low-cal salad dressing or spritz; mustard, even! I’ll do the same with cabbage, mushrooms or a cuke. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/39 "2009-07-22T01:43:59Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > What kind of culinary wasteland is Ottawa, that people talk about how great _Taco fucking Bell_ tastes? Who are these people, and what sort of horrible crap have they been ingesting that they’d consider a dog food taco to be “addictive and delicious?” In my three months in Ottawa, I found no good Mexican restaurants, nor did I find ingredients in the store to make good Mexican food. The couple of places I found that had at least edible Mexican food were nevertheless bland and ordinary, and not much better than Taco Bell. Re the OP: iceberg is much easier to handle than other lettuces. I don’t need to wash each individual leaf like I do with other lettuces, and it’s easier to chop up for large amounts. It’s not got as much taste as others, but, as with everything in food, it’s a trade-off. While it’s by no means the only lettuce I use, it’s got a place in my kitchen: tacos and chef’s salad, for example, where it can be used to create very useful flying buttresses. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2009, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785/40 "2009-07-22T01:44:52Z")
> [@Frylock](#): > > Personally, I have an irrational love for a “wedge” salad, and as far as I know from my experience, Iceberg is the only kind of lettuce you can use for that. So it’s yay iceberg for me. Blue cheese, bright-orange “French,” or a dollop of Miracle Whip? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wtf-is-up-with-iceberg-lettuce/503785.md?page=3)