A salad is one of those dishes that no-one is entirely certain what it is. In common parlance, it tends to be a mix of raw vegetables in a dressing typically made from oil and vinegar or lemon juice that's tossed and served as either a starter or an accompaniment.
However, salads can vary dramatically according to culture and in North Africa salads are often made from cooked vegetables that are then cooled and tossed with a dressing. Salads can also be made from fruit and can be served as starters, accompaniments or even desserts. The word itself derives from the French salade, standing for a mixture of cold foods, often with a dressing typically served as an appetizer or accompaniment.
Ultimately, however, the name derives from the Latin salata (salty) and refers to the Roman practice of using fish sauce (liquamen or garum) a salty decoction of putrefying fish or salty cheese to form Roman-stlye salads.
The most common form of salad is the 'green salad' which, typically, is composed of a mix of vegetables built up on a base of leaf vegetables (lettuce, rocket, spinach) often garnished with cheese such as Parmesan.
Below are two classic salad recipes:
Greek Salad
Ingredients:
50g black Kalamata olives, pitted
3 large tomatoes, diced
1 cucumber, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, de-seeded and diced
1/2 red onion, finely sliced
100ml extra virgin olive oil
150g Feta cheese, diced
1 small cos lettuce, cubed
2 tbsp dried oregano
50ml red wine vinegar
salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste
Method:
Add all the salad vegetables together and mix then add the oregano, olive oil, red wine vinegar and season with salt and black pepper. Toss to mix and serve immediately.
Algerian Cooked Carrot Salad
Ingredients:
450g small carrots
3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
1 pinch salt
1 pinch sugar
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
juice of 1 lemon
handful of chopped parsley
Method:
Scrape the carrots then quarter lengthways. Add to a pan, cover with water and add the garlic, salt and sugar. Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Drain, refresh under cold running water then chill in the fridge (or in a bowl of iced water).
Just before serving toss the carrot pieces in the lemon juice and sprinkle with a little salt, the cayenne pepper and the cumin. Plate out and sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top. Serve immediately.
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