Summer get-togethers beg for simple culinary fare. What fits the
bill better than the all-in-one-dish and ready-to-eat salad?
While the classic lettuce and tomato combo has a reservation at
the table year-round, there are so many more ways to experience
salad — especially while summer fruits and vegetables are ripe
for the picking.
When you think about it, the salad is like the summer equivalent
of the winter casserole — it may contain any combination of
pasta, vegetables, beans, grains, meat and cheese, either mixed
together or piled in layers. The advantage of the salad,
however, is that it can be served hot or cold and show up to the
party "dressed" in a saucy concoction that varies between
savory, spicy, salty or sweet. Similarly, while the casserole
is usually the main attraction at the table, a salad can be
served as an appetizer, a side dish or even as an unexpected
ending to a great meal.
Salad, the modern English word adapted from the French “salade,”
was commonly found at the dinner table in ancient Rome and
Greece, although it was likely called "sallet." At this point,
the dish was largely a pile of leafy greens moistened with brine
or vinegar. By the 17th century, the standard green salad become
much more interesting for the peasantry and nobility alike. The
Renaissance salad typically consisted of greens as a base and
all manner of leftover meats and fish, chopped boiled egg, bits
of cheese and a variety of fresh or dried herbs. This salad was
known as "salmagundi," a name once again inspired from the
French "salmigondis," which refers to any collection of things.
Over time, this word morphed into "Solomon Grundy" and the dish
became more specialized as a spicy fish pâté that is still very
popular throughout the Caribbean, especially in Jamaica. The
original medieval potpourri version of salad is forever
preserved in American culture and known today as chef’s salad.
