The Italians seem to have been the first Europeans to develop a real enthusiasm for Eruca vesicaria as a salad leaf (it was considered an aphrodisiac in the ancient world). The standard Italian name is rucola but there are also regional names. Rughetta and ruchetta in the north became roquette in France and rocket in the UK and other parts of the English-speaking world, while aruculu in Calabria gives rise to arugula in American English.