Eisbergsalat

Eisbergsalat — iceberg lettuce, the tight, pale green head with a crunch no other salad leaf matches.

Its appeal is texture and water rather than flavour: shredded, it stays crisp under dressing far longer than soft leaves, which is why it is the lettuce used in burgers, wraps, kathi rolls, döner and sandwiches. The whole outer leaves make cups for a lettuce wrap or a chaat-style salad, and the shredded heart is what goes on the side of a plate of tandoori chicken with onion and lemon.

Keep the head whole and refrigerated in a bag until you need it, and cut or tear only what you are using — cut surfaces brown within a day. A cut head keeps two to three days in the fridge.