Eruca sativa (syn. E. vesicaria subsp. sativa (Miller) Thell., Brassica eruca L.), is an edible annual plant, commonly known as salad rocket, roquette,rucola, rugula, colewort; or, in the United States, where it is very popular, arugula. Salad rocket (arugula) is sometimes conflated with Diplotaxis tenuifolia, the perennial wall rocket, another plant of the Brassicales family, which in the past was used in the same manner. Salad rocket is a species of Eruca native to the Mediterranean region, from Morocco and Portugal in the west to Lebanon and Turkey in the east.[1][2] Eruca sativa differs from E. vesicaria in having early deciduous sepals.[3] Some botanists consider it a subspecies of Eruca vesicaria: E. vesicaria subsp. sativa.[3] Still others do not differentiate between the two.[4] The Latin adjective sativa in the plant's binomial is derived from satum, the supine of the verb sero,[5] meaning "to sow", indicating that the seeds of the plant were sown in gardens.
Salad rocket grows 20–100 centimetres (8–39 in) in height. The
leaves are deeply pinnately lobed with four to ten small lateral lobes and a large terminal lobe. The
flowers are 2–4 cm (0.8–1.6 in) in diameter, arranged in a corymb in typical
Brassicaceae fashion; with creamy white petals veined with purple, and with yellow stamens; the sepals are shed soon after the flower opens. The
fruit is a
siliqua (pod) 12–35 millimetres (0.5–1.4 in) long with an apical beak, and containing several
seeds (which are edible). The species has a
chromosome number of 2
n = 22.
[2][3][6]
Vernacular names include
salad rocket,
[7] garden rocket,
[3] or simply
rocket (British, Australian, Canadian, South African and New Zealand English),
[2] eruca,
[2] and
arugula (American English). All names ultimately derive from the Latin word
eruca, a name for an unspecified plant in the family Brassicaceae, probably a type of
cabbage.
Salad rocket has a rich, peppery taste and an exceptionally pungent flavor for a leafy green. It is frequently used in
salads, often mixed with other greens in a
mesclun. It is also used raw with
pasta or meats in northern Italy and in western
Slovenia (especially in the
Slovenian Istria). In
Italy, raw rocket is often added to
pizzas just before the baking period ends or immediately afterwards, so that it will not wilt in the heat. It is also used cooked in
Puglia, in Southern Italy, to make the pasta dish
cavatiéddi, "in which large amounts of coarsely chopped rocket are added to pasta seasoned with a homemade reduced tomato sauce and
pecorino",
[18] 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 a condiment for cold meats and fish.
[18] In the
Slovenian Littoral, it is often combined with boiled potatoes,
[19] used in a soup,
[20] or served with the cheese
burek, especially in the town of
Koper.
In
Brazil, where its use is widespread, arugula is eaten raw in salads. A popular combination is arugula mixed with
mozzarella cheese (normally made out of buffalo milk) and
sun-dried tomatoes.
In
Egypt the plant is commonly eaten with
ful medames for breakfast, and regularly accompanies local seafood dishes.
