Not Everyone Bashes Iceberg Lettuce

Filmmaker John Waters once called it “the polyester of greens.” Julia Child poo-pooed it in lieu of frilly French varieties. And for the past several years, restaurants across North America have added insult to injury by swapping it out for trendy kale.

We’re talking about poor, dejected iceberg lettuce.

Retired chef Rachel Meyers of Philadelphia recalls a time when iceberg, or “crisphead,” was pretty much the only type of lettuce she could find.

“Throughout the 1970s and 80s, the alternatives in most stores were Romaine and frisee lettuces. Some people also started eating straight-up spinach salads, or they’d request spinach mixed with iceberg. That was considered kind of cool back then.”

When so-called healthier lettuces later came into vogue under the guise of “heirloom”—red leaf, butterhead, Boston, arugula and others—Meyers gladly ditched the iceberg to the applause of her adventurous-eating clients.

“It was like transitioning from notebooks to word processors. Everyone wondered how they ever lived without the prettier, leafier greens,” she noted.

But today she’s on board with a growing chorus of chefs and consumers extolling the virtues of iceberg lettuce—and without shame.

“These days I cook mainly for my husband and grand kids, and when I make a salad, I choose iceberg about 50 percent of the time.”

Snobby Hypocrisy

Television personality and restaurateur “Sam the Cooking Guy,” a.k.a. Sam Zien (pictured in the lead photo), calls himself “a huge defender” of iceberg lettuce.

“Iceberg lettuce is ridiculously polarizing. The people who bitch about it having no nutritional value are eating stupid Ding Dongs and onion rings. The lettuce doesn’t negatively affect your health or anything you’re eating. It adds that incredibly important crunch that is way better than other lettuces,” he emphasized.

At his San Diego eatery called Graze, burgers come with the option of iceberg lettuce because “the leafy green shit does nothing for a burger. It wilts instantly under a fresh, hot patty,” Zien insists. Though at his other establishment, Not Not Tacos, butter lettuce replaces the softness of tortillas when opting for protein tacos.

Another place where iceberg sits right at home is in the ubiquitous wedge salad, which Zien says is ideally “served in a steak house, dressed in chunky and creamy blue cheese and tomatoes, and with a dirty martini nearby.”

Among his favorite applications: Using it for Asian-style chicken wraps, and tossing it into stir fry during the final seconds of cooking.

Yes, There’s Nutritional Value

Iceberg lettuce doesn’t flaunt the richer vitamin and mineral levels seen in dark-green varieties, yet it still rises above the mocking status of “antimatter.”

One cup of the stuff provides 22 percent (daily value) of Vitamin K, plus trace amounts of Vitamins A and C (7 and 3 percent, respectively). In equally small measures you also get folate, potassium, manganese and fiber.

“If Mother Nature made it—it’s meant for us,” said Scotty Wagner, a private chef based in Madison, Wisconsin and who serves clients throughout the U.S. and abroad.

“Iceberg goes back to the diner days. It has neutral flavor and intense crunch. And it’s great for folding over burgers or any kind of sandwich instead of using bread. I’d rather have iceberg lettuce than a gluten-free bun,” he added.

Wagner likes the fact that you can overeat iceberg lettuce without taking on a lot of calories. Although his signature grilled-wedge salad with lemon oil and blood oranges tells a different story when scratch-made tarragon-blue cheese dressing enters into the equation.

Iceberg Lettuce Factoids

• The denser the head, the more whitish-green leaves you’ll find throughout. The leaves in looser heads tend to be darker, frillier, and less crunchy.
• The late James Beard, known as the father of U.S. gastronomy, commended iceberg lettuce for retaining its freshness longer than other varieties.
• The majority of iceberg lettuce in the U.S. is grown year-round in Arizona and California’s Central Valley. Although about 40 other states grow it.
• The lettuce got its “iceberg” moniker in the early 1900s, when growers in the Northeast packed the heads in crushed ice before exporting them by train to the West Coast and points in between.
• Iceberg lettuce pairs exceptionally well to most land and sea proteins; herbs such as thyme, mint, basil, oregano and tarragon; all types of oils and vinegar; lemon and lime juices; and honey.
• According to the survey organization, Statista, sales of iceberg lettuce in 2020 exceeded those of Romaine and other types by 10 percent and more. This, despite an unwavering popularity of greener varieties among food connoisseurs.