Arugula, Eruca sativa (or sometimes incorrectly listed as E. vesiceria subsp. sativa), is a tangy green in the mustard family (Brassicaceae) also known as roquette, rocket, garden rocket, rocket salad or Italian cress. It is native to the Mediterranean east to Turkey and northern India, where it grows on dry, disturbed ground. It has been cultivated at least since Roman times (and is still common in Italian cuisine), and the seeds were once used in aphrodisiac concoctions. It is a cool-season crop, grown like lettuce or spinach, to use raw in salads or cooked as an accent in a variety of dishes. Although arugula has been around for a long time, it only became popular in the United States in the 1990’s as a trendy leafy green.