Salad

Asaladis adishconsisting of mixed ingredients, frequently vegetables. They are typically served chilled or atroom temperature, though some can be served warm. Condiments andsalad dressings, which exist in a variety of flavors, are used to make a salad.
Garden saladsuse a base ofleafy greenssuch aslettuce,arugula or rocket,kaleorspinach; they are common enough that the wordsaladalone often refers specifically to garden salads. Other types includebean salad,tuna salad, bread salad (such asfattoush,panzanella), vegetable salads without leafy greens (such asGreek salad,potato salad,coleslaw), rice-,pasta- andnoodle-based salads,fruit saladsand desserts.
Salads may be served at any point during a meal:
When a sauce is used to flavor a salad, it is generally called a dressing; most salad dressings are based on eithera mixture of oil and vinegaror a creamy dairy base.
The word "salad" comes to English from theFrenchsaladeof the same meaning, itself an abbreviated form of the earlierVulgar Latinherba salata(salted herb), from theLatinsalata(salted), fromsal(salt). In English, the word first appears as "salad" or "sallet" in the 14th century. Salt is associated with salad because vegetables were seasoned withbrine(a solution of salt in water) or salty oil-and-vinegar dressings duringRomantimes.The phrase "salad days", meaning a "time of youthful inexperience" (based on the notion of "green"), is first recorded by Shakespeare in 1606,while the use ofsalad bar, referring to abuffet-style serving of salad ingredients, first appeared inAmerican Englishin 1937.
TheRomansandancient Greeksate mixed greens with dressing, a type ofmixed salad.Salads, including layered and dressed salads, have been popular in Europe since the Greek and Roman imperial expansions. In his 1699 book,Acetaria: A Discourse on Sallets,John Evelynattempted with little success to encourage his fellow Britons to eat fresh salad greens.Mary, Queen of Scots, ate boiledcelery rootover greens covered with creamy mustard dressing,truffles,chervil, and slices ofhard-boiled eggs.
Oil used on salads can be found in the 17th-century colony ofNew Netherland(later called New York, New Jersey and Delaware). A list of common items arriving on ships and their designated prices when appraising cargo included "a can of salad oil at 1.10 florins" and "an anker of wine vinegar at 16 florins".In a 1665 letter to the Director of New Netherland fromthe Island of Curaçaothere is a request to send greens: "I request most amicably that your honors be pleased to send me seed of every sort, such as cabbage, carrots, lettuce, parsley, etc. for none can be acquired here and I know that your honor has plenty,...".
Salads may be sold insupermarkets, atrestaurantsand atfast foodchains. In the United States, restaurants may have asalad barwith salad-making ingredients, which the customers will use to put together their salad.Salad restaurants were earning more than $300 million in 2014.At-home salad consumption in the 2010s was rising but moving away from fresh-chopped lettuce and toward bagged greens and salad kits, with bag sales expected to reach $7 billion per year.
A salad can be acomposed salad(with the ingredients specifically arranged on the serving dish) or atossed salad(with the ingredients placed in a bowl and mixed, often with salad dressing). Anantipastoplate, the first dish of a formalItalian meal, is similar to a composed salad, and has vegetables, cheese, and meat.
Agreen salad, orgreen leaf salad, another name for garden salad, is most often composed ofleafy vegetablessuch aslettucevarieties,spinach, orrocket (arugula). If non-greens make up a large portion of the salad it may instead be called avegetable salad. Common raw vegetables (in theculinary sense) used in a salad includecucumbers,peppers,tomatoes,onions,carrots,celery,radishes,mushrooms,avocado,olives,artichokehearts,heart of palm,watercress,parsley,garden beets, andgreen beans. Nuts, berries, seeds, lentils, and flowers are less common components.Hard-boiled eggs,bacon,shrimp, andcheesesmay be used as garnishes, but large amounts of animal-based foods would be more likely in adinner salad.
Awedge saladis a green salad made from a head of lettuce (ofteniceberg), halved or quartered, with other ingredients on top.
Bound salads are assembled with thick sauces such asmayonnaise. One portion of a bound salad will hold its shape when placed on a plate with a scoop. Examples of bound salad includetuna salad,chicken salad,egg salad,coleslaw, andpotato salad. Some bound salads are used assandwichfillings. Somepasta salads, e.g.macaroni salad, are bound salads. They are popular atpicnics,potlucksandbarbecues.
Main coursesalads (known asdinner saladsor asentrée saladsin theUnited States) may contain small pieces of poultry, seafood, orsteak.Caesar salad,chef salad,Cobb salad,Chinese chicken salad,Michigan salad, andPittsburgh saladare dinner salads.
A wide variety of cheeses are used in dinner salads, includingRoquefortblue cheese (traditional for a Cobb salad), andSwiss, Cheddar, Jack, and Provolone (for chef and Cobb salads).
Fruit salads are made of fruit (in theculinary sense), which may be fresh or canned. Examples includefruit cocktail.
Dessert salads rarely include leafy greens and are often sweet. Common variants are made withgelatinorwhipped cream; e.g.jello salad,pistachio salad, andambrosia. Other forms of dessert salads include regional dishes such as Midwestern America's ambrosia-likeglorified riceandcookie salad, which contains crumbled cookies as an ingredient.