noun
Korean lettuce; ssam lettuce
Refers to a type of lettuce commonly used in Korean cuisine for wrapping grilled meat (ssam). Often equated with サンチュ (sangchu).
See also: サンチュ
焼き肉を包み菜で巻いて食べる。
Wrap the grilled meat in Korean lettuce and eat it.
スーパーで包み菜を買ってきた。
I bought some Korean lettuce at the supermarket.
サンチュ is the direct loanword from Korean and is more common in everyday speech. 包み菜 is a Japanese-coined name that describes its use as a wrapping vegetable.
レタス is the general term for lettuce. 包み菜 specifically refers to the variety used for wrapping food, often with larger, softer leaves.
Compound of 包み (tsutsumi, 'wrapping') + 菜 (na, 'leafy vegetable'), referring to its use as a wrap for food. The exact origin is uncertain, but it likely arose as a descriptive term in Japanese for this Korean lettuce variety.