View source for Arugula

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[[Image:Arugula.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Leafy arugula]]

'''Arugula''', also known as '''rocket''', '''garden rocket''', '''rocket salad''', '''rugola''', '''rucola''' and '''roquette'''<ref>The term ''arugula'' (variations of Italian dialects around ''arigola'') is the term often used by the Italian diaspora in Australia and North America; both words ''arugula'' and ''rocket'' ultimately come from the Latin word stem roc and ''eruca'' which means harsh, in reference to its bitter flavour especially when collected from the wild.</ref>, is a type of [[leaf vegetable]], which looks like a longer leaved and open [[lettuce]].  Rocket is a herbaceaus annual or perennial; a member of the [[Mustard plant|mustard]] family (Brassicaceae = Cruciferae). It is rich in [[vitamin C]] and [[iron]].

Arugula has been grown as a [[vegetable]] in the [[Mediterranean]] area since [[Roman empire|Roman]] times, and was considered an [[aphrodisiac]]. Before the 1990s it was usually collected in the wild and was not cultivated on a large scale and not scientifically researched until the 1990s. Today, it is cultivated in various places, especially in [[Veneto]], Italy, but is available throughout the world. 


==Ecology==
Arugula is used as a food plant by the [[larva]]e of some [[Lepidoptera]] species including [[Garden Carpet]].

==Usage==
Arugula is generally used in [[salad]]s but also cooked as a vegetable with [[pasta]]s or meats and in coastal [[Slovenia]] (especially [[Koper]]), it is added in the squeaky cheese [[burek]]. In [[Italy]], it is often used in [[pizza]]s, added just before the baking period ends or immediately afterwards, so that it can wilt in the heat. It is sometimes used as an ingredient in [[pesto]], either in addition to [[basil]] or as a (non-traditional) substitute.  A dish in Veneto consists of shredded, cured [[horsemeat]] on a bed of arugula dressed with olive oil and fresh lemon juice.

==Note==

<references />

==External links==
{{Cookbook|Arugula}}
* [http://www.ipgri.cgiar.org/publications/pdf/234.pdf Rocket: a Mediterranean crop for the world] ([[Portable Document Format|PDF]] document)
* [http://www.foodsdatabase.com/LinkedLabel.aspx?FoodId=20275 Nutrition facts]   

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[[Category:Leaf vegetables]]
[[Category:Brassicaceae]]