What is salad? blog discussion

zombiecazz

RobN wrote:

So if a plate of "salad" included some whole lettuce leaves that needed to be cut with a knife and fork before eating them, would you say that the lettuce is not a part of the salad because it's not bite sized? The same question would apply to large slices of tomato that need to be cut up.

I once had a salad in a very posh Parisian restaurant that constituted of tomato and mozzarella on a bed of lettuce, where I think every part of the salad needed cutting up smaller before eating, so none of it was bite sized. I certainly considered it to be a salad though. And you'd have to have been braver than me to have complained to the French Chef that his salad wasn't a salad because it wasn't made from bite sized pieces.

Ah, but it may depend on the size of your mouth.

I agree with Martin, salad is cold, it must consist of 2 more different types of vegetable, nut, legume. Meat (fish, chicken, prawns etc) are not part of the salad. They are protien part of the meal that generally accompanies the salad part of the meal.
As for dressing that's what it is dressing. The salad would still exist without the dressing, but the dressing is nothing without the salad.


I love salad, the problem most people have with salad (especially restaurants) is lack of imagination.;)

MSE_Martin

what about fruit salad?

trafalgar_2

MSE_Martin wrote:

what about fruit salad?

the salad was added as the fruit is meant to be 'raw'.......................not like the tinned mush

fgaughan

trafalgar wrote:

totally agree,it's raw veg :T

Tomatoes is not a veg its a fruit

Fintan

trafalgar_2

fgaughan wrote:

Tomatoes is not a veg its a fruit

Fintan

so it's fruit salad then:rotfl:


just messing,yes I agree it is

Swan_2

Edinburghlass wrote:

Well those tomatoes look bite sized to me, maybe they got the words round the wrong way as you often see salad potatoes on new pots and salad tomatoes on cherry tomatoes or salad onions on spring onions

I was wondering if they'd got the words the wrong way round too Edinburghlass

this is really interesting, I've never thought of what defines 'salad' before now

the French do a delicious tomato salad which consists only of thickly sliced tomatoes dressed with oil, vinegar & seasoning

one of my favourites is simply torn up Cos (Romaine) lettuce & Cardini's Ceasar dressing, & I definitely consider that to be salad (would the crusty bread I eat with it constitute an 'official' ingredient I wonder?)

I'm gonna go to bed thinking about this now

Alfie_E

It seems to be the same sort of question as “What is a curry?” I’m going with mattogier’s dressing definition of salad. It covers the already mentioned potato salad, plus pasta salad, noodle salad and rice salad. Although, personally, I feel a salad has to be cold. Maybe I’m just not sophisticated enough.

I don’t think we can do it by ingredient type. Ignoring fruit salad, Waldorf salad needs it apples and Caesar salad can have its anchovies and egg in the body of the salad, rather than in just its dressing. It’s probably some twisted north European idea of salad that means it can be a lettuce leaf, a stick of celery and some slices of cucumber and tomato, with no dressing. We don’t feel the need for a special name for it, if we put hot runner beans, carrots and peas on a single plate.

I’d worry for human creativity, if we could give a precise definition. Maybe we should stick to what it isn’t. And, it isn’t a pile of tomatoes.

RobN_2

MSE_Martin wrote:

Hmmm good point RobM, but how would you then define it?

Hmmm, I think at this point I'd reach for the OED. Wouldn't want to spoil your thread by posting it here though.

...

<Rob goes to consult the OED>

...

Haha, I know what salad is! :P

annie-c

:rotfl:

Am laughing out loud as I read this thread! What really tickles me about Martin is that he isn't afraid to engage in ridiculous debate, alongside his more serious moneysaving lark!!

I agree with Gingham Ribbon's definition - I think that the essential thing about salad is the mixing of more than one cold ingredients. Therefore tomatoes with dressing = salad (whereas plain tomatoes do not!) and 2 types of lettuce mixed together also = salad (whether dressed or not!). Warm salad is OK, as long as two or more raw or cold ingredients is involved.

But grilled mediterranean veg is just that - and is NOT a salad (sorry!!!)

Am off to consult google now.....

Annie xx

annie-c

Ooh, I've just consulted dictionary.com and felt the need to come straight back to say 'ooh' - I was surprised by the dictionary definition and, in particular, the latin root of 'salad' - I still think Gingham Ribbon and I are right on the common use of the word though!!!

This is a bit off-topic, but for the interest of pedants everywhere, I thought I'd mention that whilst looking this up, I re-discovered and re-signed up to 'Word of the Day'. Basically, you sign up to receive a daily email with a new word and lots of examples of its meanings - sounds very sad when I try to explain it, but it's strangely addictive....

Today's word is Brobdingnagian \brob-ding-NAG-ee-uhn\, adjective: Of extraordinary size; gigantic; enormous.

Hmm... exactly the opposite of the size that a good salad should be...