Deer’s Tongue is a crunchy lettuce with a taste that is “sharp” but not bitter.
The leaves are triangular and they grow outward and upward, wrapping themselves around each other to form a rosette pattern.
Deer’s Tongue lettuce is best when used fresh and lightly dressed. Deer’s Tongue younger leaves are favored because they are milder.
The color is usually a bright green, but there are red varieties too.
This lettuce is difficult to transport and is delicate, preventing it from being commercially cultivated on a large scale. Deer’s Tongue lettuce is derived from lettuce that was brought to North America by English settlers around 1740.
Deer’s Tongue lettuce part of Slow Food’s Ark of Taste, which is a list to help promote and protect at-risk heirloom varieties.
