Product Standard: Organic
Product Characteristics: Mesclun is nutritionally similar to romaine lettuce - substantially higher in vitamin A, vitamin C, and folate than pale iceberg lettuce.
Order Size: Organic Mesclun is sold in 150 gm units.
BACKGROUND TO MESCLUN
When you think about lettuce, however, don't just stop with the four basic types. Unlike the United States, where a single type of crisp-head lettuce - iceberg - dominates the market, European traditions have always focused on the variety found not only in lettuces but in all types of greens.
Special names for mixed greens are in fact part of everyday language in France and Italy. For the French, mixed greens are often described under the heading of "mesclumo." Mesclumo is part of the Nicois dialect and means "mixture." In the United States, mesclumo is usually referred to as "mesclun mix."
Mesclun mix combines complementary flavors
The idea of a greens mix in France is not simply to get any old mixture of greens. The idea is to combine four basic flavor types through a careful mixing of greens: mild, bitter/tart, piquant, and pepper/spicy. For the mild component, a leaf lettuce will typically be included. For the piquant, perhaps mustard greens. For the bitter/tart flavor, either radicchio, escarole, mizuna, or curly endive. To round out the peppery/spicy component, usually included is either arugula or watercress.
As you can see, many of the components of a mesclun mix are not technically lettuces, but rather, a diverse array of greens that are chosen for their distinct flavor combinations. Other greens available for a mesclun mix include sorrel, parsley, basil, chive, fennel, purslane, dandelion green, chervil, and groundsel. In Italy, the comparable greens mix is usually referred to as "misticanza." ("Mista" in Italian means "mixed").