Ruica was a blue plant that could be boiled and eaten. Seeds were transported from the world of Broest to the planet Alderaan so that ruica could be grown and eaten there. During her childhood, Princess Leia Organa did not like the taste of ruica but was persuaded to eat it by her adoptive father, Bail Organa, who claimed it would make her strong. After the destruction of Alderaan by the Galactic Empire, the princess was reminded of Alderaan and her father when Evaan Verlaine gave her ruica to eat.
Leia Organa hated ruica as a child.
During the Galactic Empire's reign over the galaxy, ruica seeds were transported from the world of Broest to the planet Alderaan, where farmers grew the plant for food. During her childhood on Alderaan, Princess Leia Organa was served ruica but did not like its taste and complained about eating the plant. Her adoptive father, Bail Organa, persuaded her to eat ruica by telling her about the effort that had been made to bring the plant to Alderaan, also claiming that it would make her strong. While later sparring with a partner, the princess's opponent asked how she was so strong, and Leia claimed it was due to the ruica in her diet, causing the partner to laugh.
In the year 0 ABY, following the Empire's destruction of Alderaan, Organa—now a member of the Rebel Alliance—ate ruica with the Alliance pilot Evaan Verlaine who had prepared it for her while the pair traveled together on a T-1 shuttle to the planet Naboo. Verlaine enjoyed the dish but Organa was at first hesitant to eat it, being reminded of her lost home and father. However, when the pilot asked if the princess liked the dish, she claimed she liked it just fine. In 4 ABY, after she said yes when General Han Solo proposed to her on the forest moon of Endor, Organa thought about how so much of her life besides love had been planned out, including eating ruica despite not liking it, since that was what a good princess of Alderaan did.
Ruica first appeared in Princess Leia 2, an issue of the Star Wars: Princess Leia comic series written by Mark Waid, illustrated by Terry Dodson, and released by Marvel Comics on March 18, 2015.