What's the difference between Lettuce and Cabbage?

Most people think that lettuce and cabbage are same, but these vegetables have major differences when it comes to nutrition, culinary uses, odor, flavours, textures, taste, appearance, and growing conditions. Both of them are considered great option for people who are on a high fiber diet as they are loaded with fiber. While these greens looks similar, but there is a lot of interesting differences between the two, which will also help you find out which is a healthier option. Scroll down to know more about:

100 grams of cabbage has 25 calories whereas lettuce has 14 calories. Cabbage has twice the amount of dietary fibre compared to lettuce, which makes it a healthier option.

Lettuce and Cabbage come from different plant species. Lettuce comes from Lactusa or Asteraceae family of vegetables whereas Cabbage belongs to the Brassica plant family.

Lettuce thrives in a warmer area under the shade while cabbage grows in cool environment. Lettuce needs to be grown in sandy soil with a pH of somewhere between 6 or 7 on the other hand cabbage should not be grown in soil whose pH value does not exceed 6.5.

Both of them have many layers of leaves. However, cabbage is tougher and contains less water content than lettuce. Lettuce is known for being crunchy that is why it is added in salads or burgers. Cabbage leaves have a strong odor and taste, while lettuce leaves are odorless.

Cabbage and lettuce exhibit a wide array of nutritional values. Lettuce has less calories and more vitamin A and folic acid than cabbage. But cabbage is richer in vitamin C and dietary fiber.

Appearance can be an important difference between cabbage and lettuce. Cabbage consists of a short stem and a head that forms a bulb-type shape, which is usually green in color. The outer leaves are harder to eat, while the inner ones are soft. On the other hand, lettuce has a short stem and leaves that wrap around each other. It is greener than cabbage, owing to a high amount of chlorophyll.