Arugula ( rugula/rucola/roquette/salad rocket/garden rocket/rocket) is an edible annual plant called Eruca Sativa. This is native to the Mediterranean region.

Salad rocket is an annual plant growing 8 to 30 inches in height. The leaves have four to ten small lateral lobes and a large terminal lobe.

The flowers are 3/4 to 1 and 1/2 inches in diameter. The petals are creamy white with purple veins, and the stamens are yellow. The sepals are shed soon after the flower opens. The fruit is a pod 1/2 to 1 and 1/2 inches long containing several edible seeds.

Salad rocket has a rich, peppery taste and an exceptionally pungent flavor for a leafy green. It is used in salads or mixed with other greens. It is also used raw with meats or pasta in northern Italy and in western Slovenia.

Raw rocket is often added pizza just before the baking period ends or immediately afterwards, so that it will not wilt in the heat. It is often used in a soup combined with boiled potato or served with the cheese.

Rucolino is a sweet, peppery digestive alcohol enjoyed in small quantities following a meal. In Brazil arugula is eaten raw in salads. A popular combination is arugula mixed with cheese made out of buffalo milk and the sun dried tomatoes.

In Egypt, rocket regularly accompanies local seafood dishes. In West Asia and North India,
taramira oil extracted from the arugula seeds used in pickling and as a salad or cooking oil.
The seed cake left behind after the extraction of oil is used as animal feed.