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Green salad lovers have long been familiar with frisee. This variety is famous for its rich composition and unique spicy taste with a slight bitterness. Due to the fact that Frize salad is low in calories, nutritionists recommend including it in the diet for weight loss.
Frize salad is eaten fresh, the plant is not subject to long-term storage
Description frise salad
Frise lettuce, also called frisse or curly endive, is an annual plant. He got his name because of his appearance, because from the French “frise” is translated as “curly”.
The bush is small, compact. The plant itself looks like a chicory, and in size it is similar to a head lettuce. The leaves look attractive, slightly velvety to the touch and quite juicy. In appearance, they are curly, almost white with yellowness towards the center, light green along the edges. Due to the peculiarities of cultivation, namely the deprivation of light during the period of active growth, pronounced bitterness disappears, and the leaves acquire a pleasant delicate taste.
Advantages and disadvantages
Curly endive is considered very useful due to its rich composition. This greenery is often included in the diet menu.
Frize leaves can be used as an additive to various dishes, and as an independent side dish.
Pros:
- interesting appearance that allows you to decorate any dish;
- rich composition;
- low calorie;
- pleasant taste with spicy bitterness;
- good combination with meat, fish, seafood, cheeses, vegetables.
Cons:
- requires the implementation of special rules when growing (excluding sunlight);
- can only be consumed fresh;
- when cooking, the leaves should not be cut with a knife.
The composition and calorie content of Frize salad
Frize salad has a unique composition. It contains a large amount of vitamins and minerals, as well as valuable vegetable fiber. The bittering intibin, which is synthesized in the composition of the plant, changes the metabolic processes in the body, accelerates them, preventing fat deposits.
The leaves of the plant contain up to 90 g of water and 0,8 g of dietary fiber. Also included are vitamins such as:
- beta-carotene (A);
- ascorbic acid (C);
- E;
- PP;
- B1 and B2.
Among the trace elements it is worth noting:
- potassium;
- calcium;
- phosphorus;
- magnesium;
- sodium;
- iron.
The calorie content of the leaves is low, only 100 kcal per 14 g. Chemical composition:
- proteins – 1,5 g;
- carbohydrates – 2,2 g;
- fats – 0.
Useful properties of frisee lettuce
The benefits of eating fresh frisee lettuce are due to the rich composition. It has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system, as under the influence of intibin, the number of red blood cells increases. The presence of beta-carotene reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. Ascorbic acid in combination with a number of other vitamins increases the protective functions of the body.
The presence of potassium in the composition of the plant helps to strengthen blood vessels and heart muscle. A high fiber content improves the functioning of the digestive system.
With the systematic use of curly leaves, the following improvements in the body can be observed:
- lowering cholesterol;
- strengthening the nervous system;
- vision improvement;
- proper bowel function;
- increased appetite;
- acceleration of cell regeneration;
- weight loss.
Application
Frize salad is a popular staple in Western countries. Its useful qualities were also appreciated by nutritionists, so it has increasingly become present in the diet of those who adhere to proper nutrition.
The green leaves can be used to prepare various appetizers and salads. They are used as an addition to meat (greens are especially well combined with bacon), to seafood and cheeses.
Curled salad is often used for decoration, as a component of dishes, and even as an independent side dish. As a dressing for the leaves, you can use olive oil, lemon juice or mayonnaise-based sauce.
Spicy taste with a slight bitterness well sets off the taste of meat, and also smoothes out the sharpness of citrus fruits in fruit salads.
To get the most out of Frize salad, it’s important to eat it fresh. Withered leaves not only change their taste, starting to become very bitter, but also lose nutrients.
Before use, lettuce leaves are washed under cold running water. Cutting them is not recommended, as the greens will release a lot of bitter juice. Therefore, you should tear the salad with your hands immediately before serving. In rare cases, you can use a ceramic knife to grind. Salad should also be dressed immediately before use.
Growing lettuce frisee
Frize lettuce is considered an unpretentious plant, so it can be grown both in open ground and at home on the windowsill. The main thing is to know some of the nuances in order to end up with a quality product.
How to grow outdoors
Frize lettuce seeds can be purchased at a specialized store. Usually they are already ready for planting and do not require preliminary manipulations.
Seeds should be sown in a pre-dug place. The soil should be nutritious and loose. Landing is carried out in rows, keeping the distance between the sowing lines at least 30 cm, the same amount is maintained between the bushes in a row.
After sowing, the seeds are watered and covered until germination. Subsequent care consists in timely watering, loosening and removing weeds. During the period of active growth, when a head-shaped bunch begins to form, the leaves are collected and tightly tied. This growing method is called blanching. Due to the lack of light in the middle of the head, the leaves will have a light shade. It is this salad that is considered suitable for consumption.
Leaves can be collected 30-35 days after the appearance of the first shoots. Frize should be used for cooking immediately after harvesting from the garden. Greens are not subject to long-term storage.
Growing lettuce frisee on a windowsill
To grow Frize lettuce on a windowsill, seeds are also purchased. A spacious container is prepared, the length of which should be from 50 cm, the width should be at least 20 cm (the longer the tray, the more plants you can plant in it).
The substrate can be purchased universal or you can mix it yourself from equal parts of sod land, compost and peat. Sand, wood ash and urea can be added to the soil mixture.
At the bottom of the container, holes must be provided through which excess moisture will escape. The first layer is drainage from small pebbles, expanded clay, or you can use a synthetic winterizer. Then they fill up the soil, moisten it. Sow seeds with a distance between about 25-30 cm. Subsequent care, collection are identical to outdoor cultivation.
When grown on a windowsill, Frize lettuce also requires the exclusion of sunlight by tightly tying the leaves into a bun.
Conclusion
Frize salad has a pleasant taste with a slight bitterness and an attractive appearance. Its light green leaves are a great addition to meat dishes and seafood snacks. It is perfect with cheese and red wine. Useful composition allows you to use it as a component of the diet menu. The only drawback is that the leaves should be consumed fresh, with prolonged storage, the salad begins to become very bitter and becomes viscous in taste.
Frize salad reviews
