Lettuce originated in the Mediterranean area and was first grown as a weed. The first documentation of cultivation begins in Ancient Egypt over 6,000 years ago, but it may have been cultivated in the Middle East prior to this. Ancient Egyptian artwork, especially tomb paintings, depicts different varieties of lettuce.

Where does lettuce grow naturally?

Like all the modern cultivated lettuces, romaine lettuce developed from a prickly and bitter wild lettuce, native to the Mediterranean and Middle East.

What continent is lettuce native to?

Wild lettuce is now widely scattered over the globe, but it originated in inner Asia Minor, the trans-Caucasus, Iran, and Turkistan.