What’s the Story Behind the Name “Iceberg” Lettuce?
For decades, iceberg lettuce was America’s most-eaten leafy green; in the 1970s, it made up nearly three-quarters of all lettuce consumed in the U.S. It’s low in calories and loaded with water, and it’s often the crisp layer in burgers and wedge salads. Despite being called bland by chefs, it’s still widely popular today. But its unusual name has nothing to do with taste and everything to do with how it was shipped and its appearance.
Crisphead Before Iceberg
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When farmers in California began cultivating head lettuce in the late 19th century, it was typically marketed simply as head lettuce. The label “crisphead” became more common in the early 20th century to distinguish it from leaf lettuce. The plant is about 96% water, which gives it a snappy texture but not much flavor.
Early farmers quickly realized that what head lettuce lacked in nutrition, it made up for in sturdiness. Unlike delicate leafy greens, it didn’t wilt after a few days. That made it the perfect candidate for shipping nationwide, especially once refrigerated transport became available in the early 20th century.
The Ice Theory
One popular story says the lettuce earned its name from being packed in crushed ice before being shipped to the East Coast. According to this version, when shipments arrived, people supposedly shouted, “The icebergs are coming!” and the name stuck. It’s a fun image, but probably not true.
The term “iceberg lettuce” became popular in the early 20th century, around the time refrigerated rail cars made long-distance produce shipments feasible. That means the ice-packed shipment tale is partly true but better understood as marketing folklore.
A More Likely Explanation
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Another theory points to its appearance and texture. Early 20th-century seed catalogs described head lettuce as having pale leaves that sparkled with dew. Burpee Seed Company even leaned into that description in early marketing campaigns.
George Ball, a modern Burpee CEO, once explained that “iceberg” came from the crunchy texture and icy-white outer leaves, not just from how it was shipped. While shipping in ice reinforced the name, the frosty imagery in advertising was likely what first marked “iceberg” as the lasting name.
Conquering the Americas
By the mid-20th century, plant breeders refined head lettuce through selective breeding to make it tougher and crunchier. One notable commercial variety, “Brittle Ice,” appeared in 1928, though it was not directly crossbred into the iceberg.
Instead, decades of careful selection produced the nearly indestructible form of this vegetable that became popular nationwide. Restaurants, schools, and households across the country loved it because it held up in sandwiches and salads, even storage bins, without wilting.
Salinas, California, became the heart of iceberg production and one of the earliest examples of a crop grown in one region and shipped nationwide. This large-scale distribution helped push the American diet away from regional eating habits and toward a standardized, coast-to-coast menu.
The Lettuce That Refused to Disappear
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By the 1960s, chefs like Julia Child began turning their attention to more flavorful and nutrient-rich greens like romaine and arugula. Later, bagged salad mixes gave shoppers more options and pushed iceberg out of the spotlight. Its nutritional profile, lower in vitamins compared to darker greens, didn’t help its reputation, even though it still provides small amounts of vitamin K, folate, and fiber.
Despite chefs moving on, ordinary Americans still overwhelmingly bought iceberg lettuce. USDA data shows that through the 1970s, iceberg lettuce accounted for about 70–75% of all lettuce eaten in the U.S.
Even today, iceberg lettuce has never really gone away. Wedge salads are a steakhouse classic, and plenty of people still swear by the crunch it brings to a burger or BLT. Maybe calling it the “polyester of greens,” as filmmaker John Waters once joked, isn’t such a bad thing. Polyester, after all, lasts forever.