Herb
Eruca sativa
B tier
Eruca sativa is a widely used synonym/treatment for cultivated salad rocket—the annual peppery leaf of Mediterranean salads. Expect lobed green leaves, white flowers with purple veins, and a nutty-hot finish that intensifies as plants mature. Harvest baby leaves for mild bags; let some plants mature for stronger bite. Classic with Parmesan, lemon, and olive oil.
Track this ingredient
Unit
Characteristics
Preparations
Baby LeafMature LeafPestoSalad
Traits
AnnualBagged Leaf CropNuttyPepper NuttyPepperySalad Rocket
History
IT
European botanists recorded sativa-type rocket in kitchen gardens.
Seed trade listed Eruca sativa as garden rocket or roquette.
Bagged salad industry scaled E. sativa production in protected culture.
Chefs still used sativa naming on seed orders for salad rocket.