A cold dish of raw or cooked vegetables, leaves, grains, or proteins dressed with oil, acid, or other seasonings — one of the most universally prepared dishes in human food history.
The word and its history
“Salad” comes from the Latin herba salata — “salted greens.” Roman soldiers were reportedly paid partly in salt (sal), and dressed raw greens with it; some etymologists link “salary” and “salad” to the same root. The earliest salads were simply greens with salt, oil, and sometimes vinegar — a dressing formula that remains standard two thousand years later.
What counts as a salad
A salad can be almost anything dressed and served cold:
- Leaf salads — mixed greens, Caesar, rocket
- Grain salads — tabbouleh, couscous, quinoa
- Bean and legume salads — chickpea, lentil
- Protein salads — chicken, tuna, egg
- Fruit salads — technically a subcategory
- Composed salads — Niçoise, Cobb, Waldorf
The dressing ratio
Classical vinaigrette follows a 3:1 oil-to-acid ratio. A pinch of salt and mustard (as an emulsifier) is classic. The ratio adjusts by cuisine — Italian dressings tend toward more acid, French dressings toward more oil, Asian-inspired dressings incorporate soy, sesame, and ginger.
The most famous salads
- Caesar salad (Tijuana, Mexico, 1924) — romaine, parmesan, anchovies, garlic, lemon
- Salade Niçoise (Nice, France) — tuna, olives, eggs, green beans
- Waldorf salad (New York, 1896) — apple, celery, walnuts, mayonnaise
- Greek salad — tomato, cucumber, olives, feta
- Tabbouleh (Lebanon) — bulgur, parsley, tomato, lemon
Find more foods by letter
Salad starts with S and ends with D. Browse other foods along the same letter.
Foods that contain a letter from "Salad":