How Large Scale Lettuce Farms First Arrived In India

Just a bite into one’s favourite McVeggie Burger at a McDonald’s restaurant, and you may wonder how the lettuce tastes so fresh and juicy, as if it’s just been brought from a farm on a cool hill station. You would not be wrong in your feeling of surprise, as the lettuce is not just any lettuce but the Iceberg variety of lettuce, which has arrived all the way from the cool Nilgiris mountains of South India. So, what makes the Iceberg lettuce thrive in the Nilgiris,

The Nilgiris’ soil and climate lend to the Iceberg lettuce its unique crunchy texture and taste that you love inside your burger. That’s how India’s first large-scale lettuce farms were created. Today, Green Earth Fresh Produce is run by a first-generation entrepreneur C Magesh Kumar. Although Magesh Kumar was a Maths graduate, he soon realised that his true love was horticulture. After several experiments with various vegetables and fruits, Magesh Kumar zeroed-in on lettuce with the McDonald’s family. He recalls, “I travelled to meet the Big Mac guys and bag the deal.

Is it any wonder that Green Earth Fresh Produce is able to produce 1,250 tonnes of Iceberg lettuce each year. Ninety percent of the quantity produced is supplied to McDonalds restaurants. This is also a great example of localization initiative undertaken by McDonald’s. Besides being a layer in McDonald’s burgers, the Iceberg lettuce can be used in various other recipes as well.

It can complement any salad, be it fruit, vegetable, chicken or seafood, to add great “crunch” value. Then, even sandwiches and soups can benefit from the presence of an Iceberg Lettuce. Iceberg lettuce is wrongly considered to have little nutritional value, but is actually an excellent source of potassium, manganese, iron, calcium, magnesium and phosphorous, besides sodium, copper and zinc. It is also an excellent source of vitamins A, K and C, B6 and B9 (folate) besides thiamin.

Being rich in vitamin A makes it valuable for healthy eyes, besides the growth and development of bones and the strengthening of the immune system. Being a good source of folate, it helps pregnant women to prevent birth defects, and also helps in fighting cancer, heart disease and strokes. Containing vitamin K, it helps normal blood clotting. As the Iceberg lettuce mostly contains water, and is only 14 calories per 100 grams, comprising dietary fiber, besides being low in sodium and very low in saturated fat and cholesterol, it also aids weight loss.

If buying some Iceberg Lettuce yourself from the market, make sure to always select fresh Ice berg lettuce, with crisp leaves. The next thing to do is to wash it well. Lastly, remember to store it in a cool place. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

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Oh Yeah, sharing and bookmarking for further use! I am from Michigan and love pasties. Every year our church made pasties to sell as a fund raiser. How I miss them. Have added your recipe to my stash and will be trying them as soon as it cools down a little in Georgia. It sure is hot down here.

Daddy Paulm Mmm that sounds good. Not a bad recipe. I like beef pastys with mushrooms and a touch of garlic. I like pork pastys with peas. They look nasty but taste great. Case1worker, I've never heard of swede. I did read that different nationalities changed the ingredients though and I'm sure it would be fine to add any extra vegetables or meats we have on hand to it.

Starglade, My son can't go to Northern Michigan without eating these. When you say that about Wisconsin I remember seeing one of those restaurants there. These sound fantastic. I first encountered pasties in Stevens Point, WI, which was also settled by the Cornish. A little restaurant at the foot of Shake-Rag Street served pasties and figgyhobbin.