salads

[Deleted]

There have been numerous threads about various specific salads but apparently no thread about salads in general.

salad

noun

1. a dish, usually cold, of raw or sometimes cooked vegetables or fruits in various combinations, served with a dressing, or molded in gelatin, and sometimes with seafood, poultry, eggs, etc. added
2. a. any green plant or herb used for such a dish or eaten raw
b. lettuce
3. a finely chopped or ground food mixed with mayonnaise, seasonings, etc. and served as on lettuce or in a sandwich: tuna salad, egg salad sandwich

Origin: ME salat < MFr salade < Prov salada < VL *salata < fem. pp. of *salare, to salt < L sal, salt[/color]

When I hear the word 'salad,' my first mental image is indeed of a leafy green salad with fresh herbs and a vinaigrette, and that would remain my favourite basic salad anyway.

Not much in common with a tuna salad, so it is strange what wide coverage the word has. One thing that I reject categorically is to call something "molded in gelatin" a salad. If somebody asks me, "would you like some salad?" and shows me a concoction of jiggly red and green cubes, I am likely to go running out of the room.

Some people do not like salad at all, but I presume that those who say that are referring to lettuce and raw vegetables. If you chop some bacon and mix it with it with mayonnaise and call it a salad, they will probably say that they love salad.

It is a vast subject.

[onlymark]

As far as I know, in German the derivation 'salat' seems to mostly to refer to just a green leaf, like lettuce, which always used to confuse me.

Russian salad always used to be disappointing to me before I got used to remembering what it was.
There is a chain restaurant not far from me "Ruby Tuesdays" that has a salad bar. It's the only reason I go there.

[lagatta]

Salad for me remains basically the leafy green kind, or perhaps a mixed salad (with tomatoes, greek salad with various chopped vegetables etc). At most a meal salad with some cheese, eggs etc. My favourite of the latter variety is chèvre chaud.

I don't think of gelatin/aspic dishes as "salad". But what of those cold dishes such as a salade de lentilles - perhaps with walnuts, roquefort etc? Those are a rather different food category.

[Don Cuevas]

Poke sallet (salad). I've had it, and you can have my share in the future.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pokeweed

[Deleted]

I never even gave a thought to the idea that it might really exist in spite of the song "Poke Salad Annie." (but then I have never really listened to the words of that song anyway)

[mickthecactus]

The 'gator got your Granny...........

was a particularly memorable line.

[Deleted]

NOLA is host to a wonderful salad that I have never seen offered anywhere else in the country. It's an Italian/American NOLA thing,an olive salad,sometimes referred to on menus (w/out offending anyone) btw,as "Wop Salad".
It's finely chopped green olives,carrots,onions,tons of garlic,capers,celery.olive oil,and tiny chunks of Pecorino Romano cheese.
My husband learned to make it from his mother and it is one of my all time favorite summertime foods,served with salami and other charcuterie,and a loaf of fresh French Bread.
To die for......

[Deleted]

Actually, I had the vague idea that Annie was collecting greens in a bag where one normally keeps a pig.

[Deleted]

I remember people talking about wop salad.

[bixaorellana]

Actually, the salad to which Casimira refers is more often called olive salad, and another mixed salad which incorporates the olive salad is called wop salad. (although the olive salad alone often gets that name, too) I'm pretty much in favor of all such terms passing out of existence.

The one that most often appears on restaurant menus would have lettuce, tomato, bell pepper, celery, maybe cukes or even (probably canned) asparagus, grated Romano cheese, the olive salad (or sometimes just chopped Italian or Greek olives or tragically, plain old salad olives), and (crucially) anchovies. The dressing is a vinaigrette.

It's similar to what is called Greek Salad in Florida restaurants.

Apr 18, 2011 5:24:01 GMT kerouac2 said:

When I hear the word 'salad,' my first mental image is indeed of a leafy green salad with fresh herbs and a vinaigrette, and that would remain my favourite basic salad anyway.

Apr 18, 2011 11:41:38 GMT lagatta said:

Salad for me remains basically the leafy green kind, or perhaps a mixed salad (with tomatoes, greek salad with various chopped vegetables etc). At most a meal salad with some cheese, eggs etc. My favourite of the latter variety is chèvre chaud.

I don't think of gelatin/aspic dishes as "salad". But what of those cold dishes such as a salade de lentilles - perhaps with walnuts, roquefort etc? Those are a rather different food category.

I agree with you all that the word salad conjures up leafy greens with a fairly plain dressing. However, accept the definitions in the OP, as well. As far as gelatin salads go, I don't care for them, but do understand why they're called salad. And yes, I think of the cold dishes such as lentil salad, potato salad, etc. as salads because they have (or should have) so much raw vegetable matter mixed in.

[mickthecactus]

I just remembered. Where we often eat in Spain the restaurant has on the menu "green salad" which sounds pretty safe - except they mix it with tuna which threw us first time round.

[thill25]

Apr 19, 2011 13:46:50 GMT casimira said:

NOLA is host to a wonderful salad that I have never seen offered anywhere else in the country. It's an Italian/American NOLA thing,an olive salad,sometimes referred to on menus (w/out offending anyone) btw,as "Wop Salad".
It's finely chopped green olives,carrots,onions,tons of garlic,capers,celery.olive oil,and tiny chunks of Pecorino Romano cheese.
My husband learned to make it from his mother and it is one of my all time favorite summertime foods,served with salami and other charcuterie,and a loaf of fresh French Bread.
To die for......

That sounds sort of like the topping for Muffaletta sandwiches. YUM!

[bixaorellana]

That's exactly what it is, Thill!

Gawd, I could go for a quarter muffaletta right this minute.

[Deleted]

How tiny are those 'chunks' of Peccorino? That could influence my opinion.

[thill25]

Apr 19, 2011 20:46:31 GMT bixaorellana said:

That's exactly what it is, Thill!

Gawd, I could go for a quarter muffaletta right this minute.

Mmmmmm.....me too. <insert drool>

[bixaorellana]

Oh! Oh!

Just yesterday I invented a drool thingy. Wanna see it?

    :~ P°°°

(I have a large nose, but you can use a - for your nose, if you wish.)

[auntieannie]

I have had to teach myself to tell people I've bought "lettuce" to make salad after too many quizzical looks when mentioning I bought "salad" to put in my home made mixed salad.

My ex-bf was really thrilled at all the different salads you can get in Greece when we went there on holidays.
In the UK restaurants mostly serve one type of "salad" and it is lettuce, tomato, cucumber served without dressing - his words!

[onlymark]

Salad in the UK was never a 'thing', partly due to the history of the food being grown to make the most of the climate I suppose. Not really hot enough to grow a variety of salad stuff nor did you want one normally on a cold grey day.
So lettuce, tomato, cucumber were about all you could get - apart from cress which for many years I thought was exotic.
Nor really salad dressings as they were often olive oil based, an oil we didn't use.

[Deleted]

That just put visions in my head of having to eat beetroot every day under the sunless British sky where green things may not grow. *shudder*

[onlymark]

I eat pickled beetroot and pickled cabbage nearly every day.

And it's sunny here.

[Deleted]

I know that a lot of people eat beetroot voluntarily and you can all fight over my share.

[thill25]

Apr 20, 2011 2:48:00 GMT bixaorellana said:

Oh! Oh!

Just yesterday I invented a drool thingy. Wanna see it?

  :~ P°°°

(I have a large nose, but you can use a - for your nose, if you wish.)

Nice!

[tod2]

Kerouac, I was wondering if it was the taste (pretty bland actually without vineagar) or the texture you do not care for? I do not seek it out or even buy it more than once or twice a year but I must admit that RAW grated beetroot in a salad is much nicer with the same tecture as grated carrot.

[auntieannie]

aaahhhh! beetroot! fresh beetroot unadulterated/unpickled beetroot! so so so delicious!

[Deleted]

I have never eaten it raw and I am willing to believe that it might be edible that way.

[auntieannie]

good boy! ;D

[Don Cuevas]

Apr 20, 2011 16:44:23 GMT auntieannie said:

aaahhhh! beetroot! fresh beetroot unadulterated/unpickled beetroot! so so so delicious!

We recently roasted very small beets, and glazed them (if that's the right word) with a balsamic vinegar dressing and a touch of orange zest.

Doña Cuevas, recently had this watercress, goat cheese, apple-pear salad topped with crisp bacon crumbles.



Sobrino's Restaurant, Colonia Roma Norte, Mexico City.

[mickthecactus]

Roasted beetroot is quote delicious.

I'm very nervous over anything called muffaletta. It could have slightly different connotations over here.....

[Deleted]

I am seeing more and more articles about the return of dandelion salad, but it has not returned to the markets. I think that before long I am going out into the fields myself (but not in the city!) and harvest some dandelions myself. I still remember how to do it from my grandparents' village.

[bixaorellana]

Be sure to look for some peppergrass or other wild mustard plants to include in that dandelion salad.

Don't want to derail this thread, but it appears there is no anyport sandwich thread. This is for Mick. Nice little video despite the girl's annoying voice -- a good argument for not losing ones regional accent.