The main difference between cabbage and lettuce is that cabbage is tough and has low water content, whereas lettuce is soft and has higher water content.
Cabbage vs. Lettuce
Cabbage and lettuce are two important vegetables in the kitchen. Although they look similar in shape, there is a large number of differences between them. They have different taste, nutritional value, growth pattern, etc. and used differently in a kitchen. Cabbage has a short stem with leaves like a bunch at the top in bulbous shape whereas, lettuce also has a short stem, but its leaves are wrapped tightly around each other such that they look like one huge leaf. Cabbage has fragrance while lettuce doesn’t. Mostly, people use cabbage in cooking due to its versatility. They provide different type of nutrients like cabbage is higher in vitamin C, but, lettuce has a much higher percentage of vitamin A. Moreover, cabbage has a more complex, peppery type flavor and a crunchier texture; on the other side, lettuce has a somewhat bland and watery taste.
What is Cabbage?
Cabbage is a leafy garden plant with a short stem and dense globular head of usually green leaves. It has fragrance and is used more in cooking due to its versatility. It is tougher and contains fewer water contents. So, its outer leaves are removed, and then it is boiled or steamed or used in coleslaw. It has high nutritional and medicinal value. Cabbage is rich in vitamins, proteins, and dietary fibers, etc. It possesses a compound called sulforaphane can delay cancers like prostate cancer, breast cancer, melanoma, and pancreatic cancer. A large amount of vitamin C is present in cabbage, which is important for preventing scurvy, treating the common cold, promoting healthy skin, and also help to treat cancer. A large number of fibers help us to normalize our bowel movements, maintain a healthy weight, and lowers cholesterol. It is also used against mental illnesses like depression, improves sleeping patterns, and provides strength to bones.
What is Lettuce?
Lettuce is a common garden vegetable whose succulent leaves are used especially in salads. It does not have fragrance and has more water contents. It has low nutritional value due to a small number of vitamins and proteins present in it. Vitamin B6 and B12 are absent in lettuce, whereas a small amount of vitamin C is present in it. Vitamin K present in lettuce is best for bone strength and lowers the risk of bone fractures.
- Cabbage has a short stem with leaves like a bunch at the top in bulbous shape whereas lettuce has a short stem and its leaves are wrapped tightly around each other such that they look like one huge leaf.
- Cabbage has fragrance; on the other hand; lettuce does not have any fragrance.
- Cabbage has a more complex, peppery type flavor and a crunchier texture conversely lettuce has a somewhat bland and watery taste.
- Cabbage has high caloric content, i.e., a 100gram sample has 25 calories on the flip side, lettuce has low caloric content, i.e., a 100-gram sample has only 14 calories.
- Cabbage has high dietary fibers, i.e., twice than lettuce.
- Cabbage contains about 60% of the average Vitamin C intake needed, but, lettuce only has about 4% of the average Vitamin C intake needed.
- Cabbage also contains vitamin B6 and B12; on the other side, vitamin B6 and B12 are absent in lettuce.
- Cabbage has more protein and vitamin content, while lettuce has low nutritional value with low protein and vitamin content.
- Cabbage is tougher and contains less water, whereas lettuce is soft and has more water content.
- Cabbage can be grown in a variety of soil environments, but it cannot be grown in soil with a pH above 6.5. On the flip side, lettuce grows in sandy medium with a pH of somewhere between 6 and 7.
- Cabbage is used against mental illnesses like depression and improves sleeping patterns, against cancer and for bone strength, etc. whereas lettuce is best for bone strength, and it lowers the risk of bone fractures.
From the above discussion, it is summarized that cabbage is a tough vegetable with a large number of nutritional values and used against several diseases, whereas lettuce is not tough like cabbage and has low nutritional value.