Rucula ( Rocket )

Scientific Names

Rucola ( or rocket ) is Eruca sativa.

Synonyms : Eruca vesicaria subsp. sativa, Brassica erusa

Latin erūca and its variant urūca denote to a plant and a caterpillar. In such cases, usually the animal name is primary and has been extended to the plant (so the rocket can be interpreted as “caterpillar plant”)

Latin adjective sativa is derived from satum, the supine of the verb sero, meaning "to sow", indicating that the seeds of the plant were sown in gardens.

Common Names

The English common name rocket derives from the French roquette, a diminutive of the Latin word eruca

In the United States and Canada, it is known as arugula.

The standard Italian word is rucola, a diminutive of the Latin word eruca.

  

Cultivation History

A pungent, leafy green vegetable resembling a longer-leaved and open lettuce, Eruca sativa is rich in vitamin C and potassium. In addition to the leaves, the flowers, young seed pods and mature seeds are all edible.

Grown as an edible herb in the Mediterranean area since Roman times, it was known as an aphrodisiac. Nowadays rocket is enjoyed innocently in mixed salads, to which it adds a pleasing pungency.

Rocket was traditionally collected in the wild or grown in home gardens along with such herbs as parsley and basil. It is now grown commercially in many places, and is available for purchase in supermarkets and farmers' markets throughout the world. It is also naturalised as a wild plant away from its native range in temperate regions around the world, including northern Europe and North America.  In India, the mature seeds are known as Gargeer. This is the same name in Arabic, جرجير (gargīr), but used in Arab countries for the fresh leaves.

  

Uses

In Italy, raw rocket is often added to a pizza at the end of or just after baking.

It is also used cooked in Apulia, in Southern Italy, to make the pasta dish cavatiéddi, as well as in "many unpretentious recipes in which it is added, chopped, to sauces and cooked dishes" or in a sauce (made by frying it in olive oil and garlic) used as a condiment for cold meats and fish.

In Rome, Italy rucola is used with special meat dish called straccietti that are thin slices of beef with raw rocket and Parmesan cheese.

A sweet, peppery digestive alcohol called rucolino is made from rocket on the island of Ischia in the Gulf of Naples. This liqueur is a local specialty enjoyed in small quantities following a meal in the same way as a limoncello or grappa.