Lettuce oil

Description

A semidrying oil expressed from the seeds of lettuce plants (Lactuca sativa and Lactuca serriola) native to the Mediterranean region. Lettuce oil contains linoleic acid (51.1-56.9%), oleic acid (37.6-40.2%), palmitic acid (1.9-4.3%), and stearic acid (1.3-4.1%) (Serpico and White 2000). The oil may have been used in ancient Egypt for cooking.

Synonyms and Related Terms

Lactuca sativa; Lactuca serriola; aceite de lechuga (Esp.); olio di lattuga (It)

Resources and Citations

• M.Serpico, R.White, "Oil, fat and wax" in Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology, P.Nicholson, I.Shaw (eds.), Cambridge University Press, 2000, p. 390-429.