Difference Between Cabbage and Lettuce

Cabbage vs lettuce

Cabbage and lettuce are both leafy vegetables. Cabbage belongs to the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family whereas Lettuce belongs to tge Asteraceae family.

Cabbage has a short stem and a head, which has leaves gathered into a large bulb-like shape. Cabbage is mainly green but there are certain varieties with purple and reddish colors. Generally the inner leaves are preferred as food, rather than the outer leaves.

Lettuce is also a leafy vegetable, which is grown mainly in temperate regions. Just like cabbage, lettuce has a short stem and leaves grown in it. Unlike cabbage, flowers appear in lettuce and this is known as bolting. Generally lettuce is harvested just before bolting.

Lettuce is a name that has been derived from the latin word ‘lac’, which means milk. Cabbage is a name that has been derived from the words ‘Normanno-Picard caboche’, meaning head.

As said earlier, lettuce has a sort stem but as the plant grows the stem also lengthens and branches. Moreover, the stems come up with many flower heads.

With regards to the nutrient value of cabbage and lettuce, the latter one has low calories and is also fat free. Lettuce is a known source of folic acid and Vitamin A. Cabbage contains glutamine, which has anti-inflammatory properties. Cabbage is a good source of indol-3-carbinol, which is used for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.

Leaves in cabbage are more tightly packed than the leaves in lettuce. Cabbage is denser and heavier than Lettuce.

Summary

1. Cabbage has a short stem and a head, which has leaves gathered into a large bulb-like shape. Lettuce has a sort stem but as the plant grows the stem also lengthens and branches. Moreover, the stems come up with many flower heads.
2. Cabbage belongs to the Brassicaceae or Cruciferae family, whereas Lettuce belongs to the Asteraceae family.
3. Lettuce is a known source of folic acid and Vitamin A. Cabbage contains glutamine, which has anti-inflammatory properties. It is a good source of indol-3-carbinol, which is used for recurrent respiratory papillomatosis.
4. The leaves in cabbage are more tightly packed than the leaves in Lettuce. Cabbage is denser and heavier than Lettuce.
5. Lettuce is a name that has been derived from the latin word ‘lac’, which means milk. Cabbage is a name that has been derived from the words ‘Normanno-Picard caboche’, meaning head.

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