萵苣薹(ちしゃとう)/Stem lettuce, Celtuce/Lactuca sativa var. augustana
（基本情報 Description）
ステムレタスという葉が巻かないタイプのレタスの仲間だ。焼き肉屋さんで出てくるサンチュなども同じグループに属している。結球タイプの今のレタスが明治以降に広がる前から日本でも知られていた野菜で、ちしゃの「ち」は「乳」で、切り口に溢れる乳白色の液がその由来らしい。そういえば同じキク科のアザミの切り口からも乳状の液が出てくる。この成分には催眠作用があるそうなので、不眠気味の方は試してみたら良いかもしれない。
ステムレタスは茎の部分が徒長するのが特徴で、紀元前から中近東やエジプトでも栽培されていたらしい。どこだかで、エジプトの古い壁画に、葉っぱを掻き落として収穫しているのを見たことがある。洋の東西考えることは同じな様でlettuceのlet-もラテン語の乳を表す接頭語「lac-」から来ている。
日本ではサンチュを含めて「掻き菜」と呼ばれる。成長した葉を下から掻いていくと、次々に新しい葉が出て、長く収穫できるからだ。薹と言うぐらいで、葉っぱもレタスと同じように利用できるが、茎の部分を主に料理に使う。京野菜の１つとしても扱われていて、萵苣薹の西京漬けは、歯触りが秀逸だ。中国や台湾ではかなりポピュラーな野菜で、炒め物やスープの具によく使われている。
レタスは最もアミノバランスに優れた野菜らしい。牡蠣油と炒合わせると完全食になるそうだ。
なかなかピンとこないが、実はこの茎を割って干したものが、最近人気の「山くらげ」だ。日本ではこの名前の方がお馴染みかも知れない。
It is a type of lettuce called stem lettuce, whose leaves do not roll. The lettuce served at yakiniku restaurants also belongs to the same group. It was a vegetable known in Japan even before the head-shaped lettuce of today became popular after the Meiji period. The "chi" in "chisha" means "milk," and it seems that the name comes from the milky white liquid that overflows from the cut. By the way, milky liquid also comes out from the cut of thistle, which is also in the Asteraceae family. This ingredient is said to have a hypnotic effect, so if you have trouble sleeping, you might want to try it.
Stem lettuce is characterized by its elongated stem, and it seems to have been cultivated in the Middle East and Egypt since before the Common Era. Somewhere, I saw an old Egyptian mural that showed the leaves being harvested by scraping them off. It seems that the East and the West think alike, and the "let-" in "lettuce" comes from the Latin prefix "lac-," which means milk.
In Japan, lettuce is called "kaki-na(rake the leaves)" including lettuce. This is because by scraping off the grown leaves from the bottom, new leaves appear one after another, allowing for a long harvest. Although it is called "tou(stems grow to produce seeds)", the leaves can be used in the same way as lettuce, but the stem is mainly used in cooking. It is also considered one of the Kyoto vegetables, and lettuce stem pickled in Kyoto-style miso has an excellent texture. It is a very popular vegetable in China and Taiwan, often used as an ingredient in stir-fries and soups.
Lettuce is said to be the vegetable with the best amino acid balance. Stir-fried with oyster oil makes it a complete nutrition meal.
It may not be obvious, but the recently popular "mountain jellyfish" is actually made by splitting and drying the stems of this plant. In Japan, this name may be more familiar.
（栽培情報 Cultivation）
北半球では、春に蒔いて夏に収穫する。暖地では、秋蒔きも可能。長く収穫できるので、プランター園芸向き。
In the Northern Hemisphere, it is sown in the spring and harvested in the summer. In warmer climates, it can also be sown in the fall. Either way, it can be harvested for a long period of time, making it ideal for pot gardening.
（利用のアイデア Uses）
今日紹介するのは、葉っぱも茎も使った中華料理で「萵苣薹ラーメン」。
まず、葉は掻き落として洗っておき、茎は皮を剥いて短冊切りにしておく。小鍋に手羽元肉か手羽先肉を入れ、昆布煮干しの出汁と老酒を少々注いで、生姜と叩き潰したにんにくを入れ、３０分程煮込む。肉だけ取り出して骨を取って身をほぐしておく。スープの方は塩胡椒、醤油と味醂で味付けをする。中華鍋に油を敷き、萵苣薹の茎を先、葉を後から炒めて、しんなりしたら、ほぐした肉と先のスープ、あれば蠣油をを入れ味を整える。どんぶりに茹だった中華麺を入れておき、中華鍋の中身を注ぎ入れる。レタスの深い味わいが嬉しい。椎茸の薄切りやザーサイを一緒に炒めても良い。ラーメンはインスタントでも生麺でも。ただし、添付のスープの素は、合成系調味料がレタスの繊細な味を壊すので、使わない。寒い日はちょっととろみをつけると暖まる。無論普通のレタスで作っても良い。
また、糖質制限やグルテンフリーの人のためのパスタの代用に使われることもある。
Today I'd like to introduce a Chinese dish that uses both the leaves and stems: lettuce ramen.
First, scrape off the leaves and wash them, and peel and cut the stems into strips. Put chicken wing meat or chicken wing tips into a small pot, pour in a little kelp sardine broth and aged wine, add ginger and crushed garlic, and simmer for about 30 minutes. Remove the meat, remove the bones, and shred the meat. For the soup, season with salt, pepper, soy sauce, and mirin. Add oil to a wok and fry the lettuce stems first, followed by the leaves. When they are soft, add the shredded meat, the broth from the lettuce, and oyster oil, if available, to adjust the flavor. Put boiled Chinese noodles in a bowl and pour in the contents of the wok. The deep flavor of the lettuce is a delight. You can also stir fry thinly sliced shiitake mushrooms or zha cai together. The ramen can be instant or fresh. However, do not use the soup base that comes with the product, as the synthetic seasonings will destroy the delicate flavor of the lettuce. On cold days, thickening the soup a little will warm you up. Of course, you can also make this with regular lettuce.
It is also sometimes used as a substitute for pasta for people on carbohydrate-restricted or gluten-free diets.
（関連情報 Related information）
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