Rocket is the common name for Eruca sativa, a leafy salad plant also known as arugula, roquette, rugula, or rucola. It suits salads best, though it also goes into soups and sauteed vegetable dishes. Its flavour is bitter and peppery, and it is a rich source of iron and vitamins A and C. Like other salad leaves it is eaten raw, so thorough washing and reliable cold-chain handling are important to limit microbial risks. Its bitter, peppery flavour is distinctive, and it is also known as arugula, roquette, rugula, or rucola.