Is Boston Lettuce The Same As Butter Lettuce?

Ever wondered if Boston lettuce is the same as butter lettuce? Then let’s find out. Lettuce is a type of vegetable that comes in different shapes, sizes, colors, and textures. They are used in our cooking to make delicious dishes such as lettuce wrap, salads, add as layers to a sandwich, toppings, and so on.

Both Boston lettuce and Butter lettuce are a variety of green lettuce and they are the two most popular lettuce varieties in North America. These two green lettuce varieties are closely related. But what we really want to know is, are there any differences between these two green lettuce varieties?

Let’s learn some tangible info on Boston lettuce and Butter lettuce and find out if Boston lettuce is the same as Butter lettuce.

Boston Lettuce vs Butter Lettuce

So the question we want to find out is if Boston lettuce is the same as Butter lettuce. When it comes to Butter lettuce vs Boston lettuce, they may be closely related, but there are still some slight differences between them.

• Boston Lettuce: The Boston lettuce variety tends to be small, round, and has a loosely formed head. Its leaves are soft supple and they tend to bruise easily. Boston lettuce is bigger and fluffier compared to Butte lettuce.
• Butter Lettuce: Butter lettuce is a smaller size and the head can be compared to the size of a fist. The leaves are also narrower and darker green than Boston lettuce.

Generally, both Boston lettuce and Butter lettuce are delicious green lettuce and they both make a perfect cup for a cooked ground chicken or shrimp.

Let’s further look into the details of Boston lettuce and Butter lettuce.

Butter Lettuces

So what is butter lettuce? Butter lettuce is a lettuce type that includes Bibb lettuce and its appearance has a bright green or deep reddish-purple hue (or a combination of both at times). Its leaves are so sweet and tender in texture.

Butter lettuce has loose round-shaped heads and its leaves are sweet and mild in flavor. They are usually sold as a whole head with their roots still attached so as to preserve their freshness.

The taste of this lettuce variety is a silky-soft-like texture that feels like it’s melting in your mouth. The leaves also offer a mild floral note that pairs well with ripened cheese and citrus-tinged meat.

Butter lettuce is packed with great vitamins and nutrients. This lettuce variety is a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, and iron. And these amazing vitamins help in fighting against inflammatory diseases and help strengthen bones.

Furthermore, butter lettuce can be divided into two types namely red-leaf and green-leaf. There are seven red-leaf varieties of butter lettuce and nine varieties of green-leaf butter lettuce.

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Here are the seven red-leaf varieties of butter lettuce: four seasons, speckles, Carmona, flashy butter oak leaf, skyphos, blushed butterhead, and Yugoslavian Red.

Here are the nine green-leaf varieties of butter lettuce: Divina, bibb, Boston bibb, Victoria, tom thumb, buttercrunch, Santoro, kweik, and butter babies.

Butter lettuces are best stored while the roots are still attached until you are ready to use them. if you wish to make use of half of the head, simply cut the portion needed and store the rest.

When you’re storing Butter lettuce in the fridge, simply wrap a moist towel around the leaves and put it in an aerated plastic bag in the crisper drawer.

Read more about How Far Apart Should Lettuce Be Planted?

Applications Of Butter Lettuce

We are all familiar with lettuce applications to salads. But when it comes to Butter lettuce, there’s so much to do with this green lettuce variety.

You can apply them as a nice material to wrap ingredients such as seasoned chicken salad, beef, taco fixings, pulled pork, as well as hamburger. You can also use them in sandwiches and stacking them will offer you a sandwich dish that fulfilling a crunchy green feel without overshadowing other ingredients.

Boston Lettuce

Boston lettuce is also known as Tom Thumb, Bibb lettuce, and Buttercrunch. This lettuce variety was developed John Bibb who was a farmer in Kentucky. It was a hybrid of Boston lettuce in the mid-1800s.

Boston lettuce is a member of the butterhead family. It has a butter-like texture of leaves especially the ones at the heart or internal center of the head. The Boston lettuce was first popularized in Europe. It is now readily available in different supermarkets worldwide.

This lettuce variety appears like a blooming rose and a soft leaf that parts like rose petals.

Boston lettuce is as well loaded with vitamins and nutrients. They are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin B, vitamin C, and vitamin K. it is also a great source of calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. Boston lettuce is as well rich in lactucarium and this affects human physiology similar to opium.

Due to Boston lettuce’s tranquilizing properties, it is occasionally recommended as a natural treatment for heart palpitations, spasms of the intestines, and sleeplessness.

Boston lettuce is pretty fragile and has the tendency to grow limp rapidly when handled or left unrefrigerated. Therefore, it should preferably be stored in a lightly perforated bag in a vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. Then the humid dial should be turned to a moderate setting.

Applications Of Boston Lettuce

Boston lettuce varieties are as well excellent in the use for salad. It can also be used in sandwiches. The leaves of Boston lettuce are great materials to be used as a bed for other dishes. This green lettuce can as well be combined with other types of lettuce and salad greens in a homemade salad.

Because Boston lettuce leaves are a bit on the large side. It makes them a common wrap meant for appetizers and hors d’oeuvres. It can also be paired with fruits and creamy cheese.

FAQ’s

Final Say

Both Boston lettuce and Butter lettuce are closely related and they are both great tasting green lettuce varieties. There are some slight differences between them such as Boston lettuce leaves being wider and lighter green compared to Butter lettuce.