Why do we call it salad?
The basis for the word salad is 'sal', meaning salt. This was chosen because in ancient times, salt was often an ingredient in the dressing. Notes here:
"Salad, a term derived from the Latin sal (salt), which yielded the form salata, 'salted things' such as the raw vegetables eaen in classical times with a dressing of oil, vinegar or salt. The word turns up in Old French as salade and then in late 14th century English as salad or sallet."
---Oxford Companion to Food, Alan Davidson [Oxford Univeristy Press:Oxford] 2nd edition, 2006 (p. 682)
"Etymologically, the key ingredient of salad, and the reason for its getting its name, is the dressing. The Romans were enthusiastic eaters of salads, many of their differing hardly at all from present-day ones--a simple selection of raw vegetables...--and they always used a dressing of some sort: oil, vinegar, and often brine. And hence the name salad, which comes from Vulgar Latin Herba salata, literally 'salted herb'."
---An A-Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 294)
Etymological notes & historic uses, Oxford English Dictionary:
"Salad
[a. OF. salade (14th c.), a. Pr. salada = OIt. salata, Pg. salada (cf. It. insalata, Sp. ensalada): ta, f. *sal and cf. quot. 1687 s.v. SALADING. c1390 Forme of Cury (1780) 41 Salat. Take persel, sawge, garlec [etc.]..waische hem clene..and myng hem wel with rawe oile, lay on vyneger and salt, and serue it forth."
"Although the ancient Greeks and Romans did not use the world "salad," they enjoyed a varietyof dishes with raw vegetables dressed with vinegar, oil, and herbs...The medical practitionersHippocrates and Galen belived that raw vegetables easily slipped through the system and did notcreate obstructions for what followed, therefore they should be served first. Others reported thatthe vinegar in the dressing destroyed the taste of the wine, therefore they should be served last.This debate has continued ever since...With the fall of Rome, salads were less important inwestern Europe, although raw vegetables and fruit were eaten on fast days and as medicinalcorrectives...The term salade derived from the Vulgar Roman herba salata, literally 'salted herb'.It remained a feature of Byzantine cookery and reentered the European menu via medieval Spainand Renaissance Italy. At first "salad" referred to various kinds of greens pickled in vinegar orsalt. The word salade later referred to fresh-cooked greens of raw vegetables prepared in theRoman manner."
---Encyclopedia of Food and Culture, Solomon H. Katz, editor and William WoysWeaver, associate editor [Charles Scribner's Sons:New York] 2003, Volume 3 (p. 224-5)
[NOTE: This book contains far more information than can be paraphrased here. Ask yourlibrarian to help you find a copy.]
At the tail end of the 19th century (in the United States) the domestic science/home economicsmovement took hold. Proponnents of this new science were obsessed with control. Theyconsidered tossed plates of mixed greens "messy" and eschewed them in favor of "orderlypresentations." Salad items were painstakenly separated, organized, and presented. Moldedgelatin (Jell-O et al) salads proliferated because they offered maximum control.
"Salad greens, which did have to be served raw and crisp, demanded more complicated measures.The object of scientific salad making was to subdue the raw greens until they bore as littleresemblance as possible to their natural state. If a plain green salad was called for, the expertstried to avoid simply letting a disorganized pile of leaves drop messily onto the plate...Thisarduous approach to salad making became an identifying feature of cooking-school cookery andthe signature of a refined household...American salads traditionally had been a matter of freshgreens, chicken, or lobster, but during the decades at the turn of the century, when urban andsuburban middle class was beginning to define itself, salads proliferated magnificently in numberand variety until they incorporated nearly every kind of food except bread and pastry...Salads thatwere nothing but a heap of raw ingredients in dissaray plainly lacked cultivation, and the cookingexperts developed a number of ingenious ways to wrap them up...The tidiest and most thoroughway to package a salad was to mold in in gelatin."
---Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century, Laura Shapiro[North Point Press:New York] 1986 (p. 96-99)
Culinary evidence confirms salads of all kinds were very popular in America in the 1920s. Entirebooks were devoted to the topic. Some of the more popular were:
Eventually, the hold of domestic science relaxed and tossed salads once again found their way onAmerican tables. Tossed salads regained favor. Today, Americansalads range from the uninspired classic" lettuce wedge, tomato & cucumber doused with bottleddressing to tantalizing creations composed of interesting greens, asian fruits and vegetables, crispnoodles lightly tossed with sesame seed soy sauce. Lettuce-free salads (tomato and fresh mozzerlla) and exotic fruit combinations(kiwi, mango, strawberry) are found in upscale restaurants and suburban supermarket salad bars. Busy home cooks have the option ofassembling "salad in a bag" adorned with ready-cut veggies (broccoli, cauliflower), baby carrots, tiny tomatoes, and packaged crunchies(flavored croutons, nuts, mini crackers, onion crisps). No cutting involved.
Candle salad, a relatively simple and inexpensive combination, was generally promoted as a festive holiday dish for its unusual presentation. It was recommended for Christmas, Halloween and children's birthday parties.The earliest print reference we find for Candle Salad is dated 1916. It was presented in this socialite menu; no description or recipe included:"Fruit co*cktail, Chicken a la King, Mashed Potatoes, Buttered Peas, Rolls, Olives, Candle Salad, Cheese Straws, Fancy Cakes, Nut Ice Creams, Candies and Nuts, Coffee."---Oelwein Daily Register [IA] April 5, 1916 (p. 4)
By the end of the decade, Candle Salad was being promoted as a time-honored tradition on par with Santa and is reindeer. Print evidence failsto substantiate the claim. Notice how the recipes grow more complicated as the decade progresses.
"A decorative Christmas candle salad is made by placing half of a small banana in the center of ring of pineapple. The light on the candle is represented by a piece of red cherry."
---"The How in Houses," Los Angeles Times, December 18, 1921 (p. VIII16)
[1923]
"Candle Salad (Six Portions)
(A clever salad to serve at a child's birthday party.)
Six pieces lettuce
Six slices pineapple
Three bananas
Six red cherries
Six strips green pepper
One-half cup mayonnaise
Arrange the lettuce leaves on salad plates. Place a slice of pineapple on each serving. Insert half a banana upright to represent the candle. Top with a red cherry and place some mayonnaise on the side to represent driping candle grease. Arrange the strips of green peppers on the sides of the pineapple to form handles to the candle stick."
---Bettina's Best Salads and What to Serve With Them, Louise Bennet Weaver and Helen Cowles LeCron [A.L. Burt Company:New York] 1923 (p. 49)
[1924]
"Candlette Salad
This is very pretty to serve at a Hallowe'en party. To make it set a slice of canned pineapple on an individual salad plate. Break off a piece from one end of a slender short banana. Stick the unbroken end in the hole in the center of the pineapple slice, shaving off a little of the banana to make it stand secure. Pour some thick mayonnaise on top of and down one side of the banana to represent melted wax, and put a Maraschino cherry on top for the burning wick. Soak a strip of celery in hot water to make it pliable and make the handle of it, or use a strip of orange peel. Surround pineapple with tiny lettuce leaves or mayonnaise pressed through the pastry tube."
---Woman's World Book of Salads and Sandwiches [Woman's World Magazine:Chicago IL] 1924 (p. 40)
[1926]
"Night Cap Candlestick
Lettuce, pineapple, banana, cherries, red peppers, whipped creamOn a bed of shredded lettuce, place a slice of pineapple. Make the hole in pinepple larger with a column cutter and insert half of a banana. On top of banana place a whole maraschino cherry (split) to represent flame. Make a handle for candle holder out of strip of Spanish red pepper, insterting one end of pepper into a slit made near center of pineapple and curl the other end of pepper underneath slice or pineapple. Banana should be placed in lemon or orange juice to prevent dsicoloration, and inserted in pineapple just before serving. French dressing. Dots of whipped cream or creamed mayonnaise can be placed on banana to represent the dripping wax."
---The Edgewater Beach Hotel Salad Book, Arnold Shircliffe [Hotel Monthly Press:Evanston IL] 1926 (p. 140)
[1927]
"Candlestick Salad, Individual
1 slice canned pineapple
1/2 banana, cut crosswise
Shredded coconut
Strip green pepper
Maraschino cherry
Fruit salad dressing
Lettuce
For the base of the candlestick, place the slice of pineapple on a leaf of lettuce and surround with fruit salad dressing piped through a pastry tube. For the candlestick, point the cut end of the banana half and place it in an upright position in the cavity of the pineapple slice. In the side of the banana stick the strip of green pepper to simulate the handle. On the top of the banana place the maraschino cherry or a strawberry, keeping it in position with a toothpick. Stick a piece of shredded coconut in the cherry for a wick. Serve additional salad dressing in tiny bonbon dishes at each plate. Serves. 1."
---Good Housekeeping's Book of Good Meals, Good Housekeeping Institute, Katharine A. Fisher, director [Good Housekeeping:New York] 1927 (p. 165)
[1928]
"Probably millions of recipes are invented each year. Most of them are used only by the composer and few friends or neighbors, others manage to creep into recipe and cook books and live for a number of years, but here and there a recipe is composed that seems to live forever. The old Christmas Candle Salad has been so popular for so many generations that at this time of year it is as much entitled to appear in print once more as is the story of Santa and his famous reindeer.
"A crisp leaf of lettuce is placed upon a salad plate; a thick slice of seedless orange tops it; a peeled banana cut in two horizontally, is placed upon the center of the orange slice; a maraschino cherry or some other red tasty tops the banana--and there you have the principal ingredients. The orange slice is the candlestick, the banana the candle, and the cherry the flame. A mound of red jelly at the base of the candle and a suitable thick dressing (flavored whipped cream is delicious) poured over the banana at the last minute to represent the flowing wax--and the never-dying Christmas candle salad is again ready for the Christmas meal."
---"A Christmas Candle Salad," Philadelphia Tribune, December 20, 1928 (p. 5)
"The evolution of Chef's SaladWhat chef dreamed up this salad? Food historian Evan Jones says in his headnote to Chef's Salad recipe in American Food: The Gastronomic Story (1975): "The originof this salad is not, apparently, a matter of record, but it may have been made first in the kitchenof the Ritz-Carleton where a recipe used by Louis Diat called for smoked ox tongue as one of themeats and watercress as the only green leaf." Louis Diat includes this recipe in Cooking a la Ritz(1941):
"The chef's salad is a familiar yet fading star in the salad world...this still-beloved salad may havehad a noble beginning. Though nobody has ever stepped forward to claim the title of the chef in'chef's salad,' the dish has been attributed by some food historians to Louis Diat, the chef of theRitz-Carton in New York City in the early 1940s...The concept of the chef's salad dates stillearlier; one seventeenth-century English recipe for a 'grand sallet' calls for lettuce, roast meat, anda slew of vegetables and fruits."
---One-Dish Dinners: A New Chef's Salad, Gourmet, August 1999 (p. 100).
What is the differernce between Chef's Salad and Cobb Salad?
"Cobb Salad" is a singnature dish *invented* at the Brown Derby Restaurant (Los Angeles, California) by the owner, Bob Cobb. There is one specific recipe. "Chef Salad" is a generic recipe for a modern composed salad. There are many variations. The best way to examine the difference between these two dishes are checking recipes for both published in the same book. What better example than the Brown Derby's own cookbook?
"Chicken Salad.
The fowls for this purpose should be young and fine. You may either boil or roast them. They must bequite cold. Having removed all the skin and fat, and disjointed the fowls cut the meat from the bones into very smallpieces, not exceeding an inch. Wash and split two large fine heads of celery, and cut the white part into pieces also aboutan inch long; and having mixed the chicken and celery together, put them into a deep china dish, cover it and set it away.It is best not to prepare the dressing till just before the salad is to be eaten, that it may be as fresh as possible. Have readythe yolks of eight hard-boiled eggs. Put them into a flat dish, and mash them to a paste with the back of a woodenspooon. Add to the egg a small tea-spoonful of fine salt, the same quantity of cayenne pepper, half a gill of made mustard,a gill or a wine-glass and a half of vinegar, and rather more than two wine-glasses of sweet oil. Mix all these ingredientsthoroughly; stirring them a long time till they are quite smooth. The dressing should not be put on till a few minutesbefore the salad is sent in; as by lying in it the chicken and celery will become tough and hard. After you pour it on, mixthe whole well together with a silver fork. Chicken salad should be accompanied with plates of bread and butter, and aplate of crackers. It is a supper dish, and is brought in with terrapin, oysters, &tc. Cold turkey is excellent prepared asabove. An inferior salad may be made with cold fillet of veal, instead of chickens. Cold boiled lobster is very fine cutup and drest in this manner, only substituting fore celery, lettuce cut up and mixed with the lobster."
---Directions for Cookery in Its Various Branches, Miss [Eliza] Leslie [Carey & Hart:Philadelphia] (p. 147-8)
[1865]
"No. 90.--Turkey Salad.
Cut some of the meat from a cold boiled or braised turkey in small pieces, and put them into a deep dish with four table-spoonfuls of good salad oil, and one and a half of vinegar, a small onion, a shallot, some parsley, green tarragon, and chervil, all chopped fine, and salt and pepper. Let the pieces of turkey soak in this for four hours, turning them occasionally, and covering the dish closely. Then put some well-dried and shred lettuce on a dish, take the pieces of turkey from the oil and vinegar, and arrange them in the centre of the lettuce. Take two raw yolks of eggs, beat them a little in a basin, and add by slow degrees the oil, vinegar, chopped herbs, etc., from which you have taken the turkey, stirring all the time till the sauce is quite smooth; taste it, and, if necessary, add more salt or pepper; pour this sauce over the turkey and salad; arrange round the edge, or in a pattern in the centre, as you like best, olives and slices of hard-boiled eggs alternately, and serve."
---What to Do with the Cold Mutton [Bunce and Huntington:New York] 1865. (p. 57)
[1869]
"Chicken Salad. A pair of fowl weighing about six pounds will make a nice dish of salad. The chickens should be wellboiled. Take off all the skin (some persons do not use the dark meat; it is quite as tender as the white, and when dressed,does not show the difference); chop the meat very fine (be sure to take out good heads of tennis-ball lettuce intoquarters; wash it all clean, and lay it in ice-water for two or three hours, that it may be crisp). If celery is used, split it fine,and put into ice-water as long as you would the lettuce, as it must be brittle to be good."
---Mrs. Putnam's Receipt Book [Sheldon and Company:New York] (p. 240)
"Chicken salad. Made by not chopping or cutting the chicken, is very nice. Either boiled or roast chicken may be skinned,then pull the meat off the bone in small pieces, and dress it the same as the other chicken salad. The chicken myst becooked very tender to pull off in nice pieces. For evening company it is best to cut the lettuce or celery, and mix withthe meat or lobster, and serve it in a salad bowl." (Ibid, p. 124)
[1877]
Chicken Salad
Buckeye Cookery, Estelle Woods Wilcox
[1884]
Chicken Salad I & II
The Boston Cooking School Cook Book, Mrs. D.A. Lincoln
[1899]
"Chicken Salad
Draw, singe, and boil the chicken. When done and perfectly cold, remove the skin and cut the meat into dice. If you want it verynice, use only the white meat; save the dark for croquettes. After you have cut it, set it away in a cold place until wanted. Washand cut the white parts of celery into pieces abut a half inch long, throw them into a bowl of cold water, and also set them untilwanted. To every pint of chicken allow two thirds of a pint of celery and a cup and a half of mayonnaise dressing. When ready to serve, dry the celery and mixwith the chicken; dust lightly with salt, white pepper or cayenne, then mix it with the mayonnaise. Serve on a a cold dish, garnished with white celery tips. One cup of white cream may be added to every one-half pint of mayonnaise when ready to useit. It makes the dressing lighter, with less of the oily flavor."
---The American Pure Food Cook Book, David Chidow [Geo. M. Hill Company:Chicago] 1899 (p. 133)
[1911]
"What to do with left-over poultry. Chicken Salad.
Cut the cold chicken from the bones, using all the small bits. Have pieces uniform in size, and in shape of small cubes. Scrape celery and let stand several hours in ice-water, then dry in a clean napkin. Use half as much celery as chicken, and cut into pieces half the size. Make a French Dressing of
1 tablespoonful lemon juice
3 tablespoonfuls oil
1/4 teaspoonful salt
1/8 teaspoonful white pepper
Pour this over the chicken and celery,mix well, and put into ice-box to stand for fifteen minutes. Drain the liquid from some canned sweet red peppers, and chop with stoned olives. Mix with the salad, and just before it is served pour mayonnaise dressing over it, tossing it over and over with a silver fork until each piece is coated with the dressing. Put into a salad bowl, or on individual plates, and garnish with small tender ends and leaves of the celery, whole olives, and a few tiny cucumber pickles. Serve very cold."
---Cook Book of Left-Overs, Helen Carroll Clarke [Harper & Brothers:New York] (p. 53)
[1930]
"Chicken Salad (1)
(The old way of making it)
2 large chickens, boiled
6 hard-boiled eggs
4 uncooked egg-yolks
4 tablespoonfuls lemon juice
1/4 teaspoonful cayenne pepper
6 stalks celery
2 teaspoonfuls mustard
1 teaspoonful salt
4 tablespoonfuls vinegar
6 tablespoonfuls milk
1 pint bottle olive oil
Chop the chicken, white and dark meat, not too fine, being careful to remove every bit of skin and not to use hard or gristly parts.parts. Cut up the celery and chop the hard-boiled eggs, salt and pepper to taste. Make a dressing of the rest of the ingredients bymixing the egg yolks, mustard, salt and pepper together until smooth and thick, drop in the oil a little at a time, then addvinegar, lemon juice and lastly, milk. Just before you are ready to serve mix all the ingredients together and mix with the dressing."
"Chicken Salad (2)
Chicken salad may be made from roast or boiled chicken--roast chicken retains more of the chicken flavor, but boiled chicken has a more delicate flavor.
1 cup tender white celery
2 cups cold chicken, chopped
1 hard-boiled egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoonful vinegar
Lettuce
2 tablespoons sweet sour pickle
1 teaspoonful celery seed
Tiny pinch mustard
Salt and pepper
Do not cut the chicken meat too small and be sure that no skin is left. Only tender meat should be used by a little dark meat adds tothe flavor. Cut the celery in small pieces, being careful to remove any hard bits. Chop up the white of the egg, blend the yolkwith the vinegar and stir into the mayonnaise. Chop up the pickle; cucumbers are best to use. When you are ready to serve thesalad mix all the ingredients and serve on delicate leaves of lettuce."
---Old Southern Recipes, Mary D. Pretlow [Robert M. McBride & Company:New York] 1930 (p. 177-178)
[1954]
"Chicken Salad
1 hen, baked until very tender, chopped
1 apple, chopped
1 bunch celery, chopped
8 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
1 pint salad dressing
Home cooked dressing as follows:
1 cup vinegar
butter size of walnut
1 teaspoon dry mustard
dash red pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
nut meats, if desired
Bring vinegar, sugar and butter to a boil. Pour over the well-beaten eggs. Add mustard, salt, pepper, and dash of red pepper; then put this back on the stove and cook slowly, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens. When cool, add most of this cooked dressingto the above ingredients and season well with salt and pepper. Nuts may be added, if desired. Serves 12-15.-Mrs. Ben C. Worlkman, Laurens County."<
---The South Carolina Cook Book, collected and edited by the South Carolina Extension Homemaker Council and the Clemsen Extension Home Economics staff, revised edition [University of South Carolina Press:Columbia SC] 1954 (p. 268)
[1961]
"Chicken Salad (Serves 4)
2 1/2 cups of cubed cold chicken
1 cup of chopped celery
Mauonnaise to taste
Greens
Garnishes
Cut the cold cooked chiken in even cubes, being careful to remove all gristle, fat skin and bone. You need pure, lean meat forsalad. Combine 2 1/2 cups of the cubed meat with 1 cup of chopped raw celery and blend with mayonnaise to taste. Pile on a bed ofromaine or Boston lettuce and garnish with any or all of the following: tomato quarters, slcied hard-cooked egg, capers, pimiento strips, stuffedolives.
"Variations.
With nuts: Add 1/2 cup of chopped, toasted almonds, walnuts, filberts or pecans.
With green onion: Add 1/2 cup of chopped green onion."
---James Beard Cook book, James Beard [E.P. Dutton:New York] 1961 (p. 385)[NOTE: Mr. Beard also offers recipes for turkey salad, veal salad, lamb salad, beef salad and ham salad.]
Why two names for the same dressing?
"Vinaigrette...The word, which originated as a diminutive form of French vinaigre (vinegar), wasfirst used in English as long ago as 1699 (John Evely mentioned it in his book on salads, Acetaria)but it did not really become established until the end of the nineteenth century. French dressing,which originated around 1900, is a widely used synonym in British English. In French, vinaigrettewas also applied formerly to a sort of small two-wheeled carriage, from a supposed resemblanceto a vinegar-seller's cart."
---A-Z of Food and Drink, John Ayto [Oxford University Press:Oxford] 2002 (p. 359)
"Vinaigrette. A cold sauce made from a mixture of vinegar oil, pepper, and salt, to which variousflavourings may be added...Vinaigrette is used especially for dressing green salads...It is considredto be a typically French sauce and is often called "French dressing" in Britain. It was a Frenchemigre, Chevalier d'Albingac, who started the fashion in London high society for salads dressedin ths way."
---Larousse Gastronomique, Jenifer Harvey Lang [Crown:New York] 1988 (p. 1137)
According to a survey of articles published in the New York Times, recipes titled "pasta salad"were published in the early 1960s. They proliferated in the 1980s, when Nouvelle Cuisinedelighted in creating dishes with gourmet pastas of various shapes, sizes, and colors. Pasta saladwas a trendy way to carbo-load back in the Yuppie era. This simple, economical dish waspromoted on two fronts: upscale, affordable cuisine and practical way to use leftovers. Beforelong? Mainstream American food companies began promoting "pasta salad" box kits. Thesecan still be found in our grocery stores today.
"Macaroni Salad
1/2 pound (58 sticks) macaroni
1 1/2 tablespoonfuls fresh grated horseradish
1 teaspoonful sugar
1/2 teaspoonful salt
1 pint (2 cups) whipped cream
Crisp lettuce leaves
Break the macaroni into small pieces, boil in plenty of boiling salted water until tender, thendrain and cool. Mix the horseradish with the sugar, salt, and whipped cream; fold in the macaroniand serve heaped on lettuce leaves.Another Method.--Boil one package of macaroni, then rinse it with cold water and drain. Cut itinto short lengths, place one-half of it in a jar of vinegar in which boiled beets have been pickled,and let it remain until colored a pretty pink. Line a salad dish with crisp lettuce leaves andarrange the pink and white macaroni in alternate rings. Garnish with sprigs of parsley and tinyleaves of lettuce. Serve with boiled salad dressing. Spaghetti may be used in the same way."
---Salads, Sandwiches and Chafing Dish Recipes, Marion Harris Neil [DavidMcKay:Philadephia] 1916 (p. 216)
[1927]
"Elbow Macaroni Salad. A nutritious and Satisfying Summer Dish. Put one package elbow macaroni in three quarts of boiling salted water, cook until tender, which will generally take about ten minutes; stir occasionally,. The place elbow macaroni in colander and shake until thoroughly drained. Never start to cook in cold or merely warm water. Method.--Mix cooked elbow macaroni with one cup mayonnaise, add one onion (grated), two green peppers (chopped)), Serve on lettuce leaf garnish with chopped egg and slices of green pepper."
---"Tested Recipes," Washington Post, July 24, 1927 (p. 12)
[1930]
"Mock Potato Salad.
1/2 package elbow macaroni
6 large-sized potatoes
1 medium-sized onion
1 small red or green pepper
1 hard boiled egg
Mayonnaise and seasoning to taste. Boil the potatoes with the skins on. When cool peel and cut in dice-sized cubes. Boil the macaroni until tender, in salted water, immerse in cold water. Cut the onion and pepper in small pieces. Mix all together with the mayonnaise and seasoning. Garnish on top with the hard boiled egg and a little parsley if desired. This is quite an addition to the old-fashioned potato salad.
Miss Effie M. co*ckrill, Vienna, Va." ---"Four Best Macaroni Recipes are Published for Readers," Stephanie Reilly, Washington Post, November 17, 1930 (p. 11)
[1962]
"Macaroni salad.
Cook 1 pound of elbow macaroni according to the directions on the package. Drain thoroughlyand prepare as you do Potato Salad 3."
---James Beard Cookbook, in collaboration with Isabel E. Callvert [E.P. Dutton:New York] 1961(p. 385)
[NOTE: Potato Salad 3 is dressed with mayonnaise and garnished with pimiento strips, sliceshard-cooked egg, sliced olives and capers.]
[1982]
"THE pasta salad, that darling of the carry-out shop, is here to stay. Especially in warm weather,the idea of tossing vegetables or seafood or poultry or meat or just herbs with a dressing,anchoring the mixture with cooked and cooled macaroni, tortellini or spaghetti to make it fillingenough to be dinner is especially appealing.Pasta salads can be strictly improvisational, relying more on a pass through the leftoverdepartment of the refrigerator than on a planned shopping list. The inspiration can be Italian,French, Asian or a combination of these influences assembled with a kind of artful freedom thatonly a contemporary American kitchen can provide. Thus, Asian sesame oil and wine vinegarimported from France that coexist on the pantry shelves can be called upon to dress the salad.When preparing a pasta salad, it is important to bear in mind that pasta is high in starch. Thesalad should be well-lubricated to prevent the mixture from becoming sticky and gummy, whichit often does as it waits to be served, especially if it has been refrigerated. The one problem witha great many of the pasta salads prepared by catering shops is that they are too stiff. There aretwo ways of alleviating this problem.First, when preparing pasta, especially for a salad - and even when using leftover pasta that hasbeen in the refrigerator - the pasta should be well-rinsed in cold water. Don't worry if some of thewater still clings to the pasta after it has been drained, because the little that does will dilute thesauce and may actually enhance the texture of the salad, keeping the dressing smooth and satiny.Second, the dressing should be thick enough to cling to the pasta and the other ingredients butshould not be so stiff that it will not drop from a spoon. A heavy mayonnaise should be dilutedwith some lemon juice, milk, vinegar and oil, well-stirred yogurt or other liquid. And after apasta salad has been refrigerated, it should be mixed to make sure that the dressing still coats theingredients and has not been absorbed by the pasta.Adding cucumbers or tomatoes with their high moisture content to pasta salads helps maintainthe pleasing, smooth balance of pasta and dressing. If a salad has been refrigerated, always checkthe seasonings before serving, because cold temperatures tend to diminish flavors.The following salads can be served as appetizers, main dishes or side dishes for lunches, suppersor picnics. Chicken and Ziti Salad 1 pound ziti Salt 1/2 cup chicken consomme 1 1/2 cups freshgreen beans, in1/2-inch length (about 1/2 pound) 2 small zucchinis, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/2-inchthick slices 1 cup peeled, diced cucumber 4 cups diced cooked chicken 1/2 cup minced red onionfreshly ground black pepper 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise, preferably home-made 3 tablespoons mincedfresh dill 1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts.
1. Drop ziti into boiling, salted water and cook until tender, about eight minutes. Drain, rinse incold water and drain again thoroughly. Mix with consomme and set aside.
2. Drop beans into boiling salted water and cook for one minute. Add the zucchini and cook twominutes longer, until the vegetables are cooked but still crunchy. Drain, allow to cool and mixwith ziti.
3. Add cucumber, chicken and onion. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Fold in themayonnaise and two tablespoons of the dill.
4. Salad should be refrigerated if not used immediately. If the dressing has become too stiff, mixin a little more consomme. Check salad for seasoning and garnish the top with remainingtablespoon of dill and the walnuts before serving.Yield: 8 servings.
Chinese Shrimp And Pasta Salad 1 cup mung bean sprouts 3/4 pound rawmedium shrimp 1 cup peeled, seeded, sliced cucumber 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger 2scallions, minced 2 teaspoons minced fresh coriander leaves 1 tablespoon dry sherry 2tablespoons rice vinegar 1/3 cup sesame oil, Asian style 1 teaspoon soy sauce 1/4 teaspoon hotchili oil 1/2 pound Asian buckwheat noodles (soba), cooked, drained and rinsed in cold water.
1. Bring a quart of water to a boil. Drop in the bean sprouts. When the water returns to the boil,remove the sprouts with a slotted spoon and drain.
2. Add the shrimp to the boiling water. When the water returns to a full boil the shrimp will haveturned pink. Remove shrimp and drain. As soon as the shrimp are cool enough to handle, shell,de-vein and slice them in half lengthwise. Combine shrimp, bean sprouts and cucumbers and mixwith ginger, scallions, coriander, sherry, vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce and hot chili oil.
3. Place cooled, drained noodles in a bowl, toss with the shrimp mixture and serve. Yield: 2 to 4servings.
Cold Pasta, With Fresh Tomatoes 3 cups peeled, seeded, chopped ripe tomatoes 1teaspoon finely minced garlic 2 tablespoons lemon juice 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar 1/3cup olive oil 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley 2 tablespoonsdrained capers 2 tablespoons chopped pitted Greek olives 1 pound thin spaghetti or linguine saltand freshly ground black pepper.
1. Combine tomatoes, garlic, lemon juice, wine vinegar, olive oil, one tablespoon each of basiland parsley, the capers and olives in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside.You should need very little salt.
2. Bring at least four quarts of salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti or linguine and cook until aldente, six to eight minutes. Drain well and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Therinsing will cool the pasta and also remove enough starch so it is less likely to become sticky.
3. Toss the pasta with the sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper if desired. Sprinkle withremaining basil and parsley and serve. Yield: 4 to 6 servings."
---"Food; Many Faces of Pasta for Summer Dining," Florence Fabricant, NewYork Times, Jun 20, 1982 (p. A16)
Mesclun, a salad composed of leafy greens of various colors and textures, originated in the Provence.It could be argued that mesclun descends from the Ancient Roman tradition of serving mixedgreens with dressing. Some say this simple salad originated as peasant food. That would explainits ommission from French culinary texts. Curiously (or not) J.B. Reboul's La Cuisiniere Provencale (1897) does not include mesclun. Escoffier, Elizabeth David, Julia Child are silent.
When did Americans "discover" mesclun?
Mesclun entered the American culinary lexicon in the late 1970s. Presumably, travelers returning from Provence clamored for the trendy "new" salad. California chefs in trendy restaurants recognized potential. Today, we findpre-packaged mesclun mixes (aka spring mix) in mainstream supermarkets. And yes! They command higher prices than standardsalad greens.
Is it mesclun or mesclum?
In the USA this leafy mix is called mesclun. Provencal purists prefer mesclum. There is NO connection between mescal (potent taquila ingredient) and mesclun.
[1967]
"The Provence regions along the Mediterranean coast are still the keenest herb-consuming areas of France, wehre the current 'in' salad is called 'mesclun'--a medieval mixture of cost lettuces [red and white], chicories [both bitter and curly], cherviland winter cress. Peasant food that has become the Rolls-Royce of salads, it commands high prices in Saint Tropez restaurants andsells at the exclusive Fauchon store on the Place de la Madeleine in Paris at around $2 a pound."
---"Latest from Paris," Monique, Chicago Tribune, August 3, 1967 (p. C8)
[1979]
"The lightest and most refreshing first course is the mesclun, a Provencale salad of lacy mixedgreens with a sharp vinaigrette dressing made with strong, fruity olive oil and served with garlicand oil-flavored croutons."
---"Great French Country Restaurants," Mimi Sheraton, New York Times, June 27, 1979 (p. C1)
[review of Restaurant de Bacon]
[1986]
"Some say mesclun. Others say mesclum. Some insist that this fashionable Provencal salad is ablend of a dozen different greens, all sown, grown and picked together. Jean and Yvonne Tabo,maraichers, or market gardeners, who were among the first to grow it commercially in France,are categorical: it's called mesclum. According to them, it's nine or 10 different greens, eachgrown in separate rows, then tossed together in approximately equal proportions when picked.And if you want each of the greens to have the right texture and flavor, you pick them whenthey're very small and very young.
"The Tabos, who live in Carros, the herb and vegetable growing region just north of Nice,switched from selling vegetables to growing them about 10 years ago. They settled on mesclumbecause, at the time, no one was growing this traditionally Nicoise salad mixture commercially.Today, they are one of a handful of maraichers - and possibly the only ones - who specialize inmesclum. Their lettuce is savored not just in France, but also in Copenhagen, London, Berlin andToronto, where it is flown three times each week, year round, from the Nice airport. (They do notyet fly their mesclum to the United States, but are now discussing the possibilities with aCalifornia supplier.) The Tabo mesclum, grown in impeccably neat rows in a series of low, open-sided greenhouses, includes red and green-tipped oak-leaf lettuce, rocket, romaine, chervil -botha slightly curly white endive and a firmer, very curly green variety - escarole and a very bittervariety of dandelion. In the wintertime, the Tabos add a few rows of colorful red trevise, the firmand bitter lettuce that takes its name from the Italian town of Trevise.
"'For some reason, when we grow trevise here in the summertime, the leaves won't turn red, and itdoesn't taste the same,'' explains Madame Tabo. The greens are picked early in the morning, andonly the youngest, tenderest shoots are selected. Then, they are plunged together directly into awater bath, drained and packed loosely in sturdy wooden crates for the market.Like the history of many regional foods, the mesclum story is hazy. Some historians suggest thatboth the word mesclum (Latin for mixture) and the idea for the salad blend, were brought intoNice from the Ligurian region of Italy before Nice was reunited with France in 1860. In Nice, thesalad became known as mesclun in standard French and mesclum in the Nicois dialect known asnissarde. The Tabos and others in the region remember that their parents and grandparents alwaysgrew a blend of greens in the family potager, or vegetable garden, then mixed them with all thewild and domestic herbs that grew so naturally and profusely in the area.
"During the late 1940's, as restaurants proliferated along the Cote d'Azur, mesclum grew inpopularity and also became better known outside of Provence. Today, maraichers like the Taboshave plenty of company north of Nice, where the terraced hillsides are covered with row uponrow of serres or greenhouses, shelters for the tons of herbs, lettuce, tomatoes and zucchiniblossoms that are grown in the hot, humid climate year-round. The greens are usually sold inloose bunches in outdoor fruit and vegetable markets throughout the region, and sometimes theyare simply called salade melange. The best place to find mesclum today is in Nice's Cours Salyeaopen air market, held each morning but Monday. There are also large commercial operations thatgrow the mixture, package it in plastic and sell it in supermarkets or sometimes open air markets.
No matter how mesclun is grown or what kinds of greens are contained in the mixture,, thechallenge for the chef is to present a multicolored, multitextured salad with a subtle contrast offlavors, ranging from feathery and delicate to pungent and assertive. A home-composed mesclumsalad might include peppery nasturtium blossoms, firm-leafed pourpier (purslane), mache (lamb'slettuce), senneson (chickweed) and parsley, as well as a few leaves of basil, summer savory andlavender-tipped hyssop. Purists, such as the Tabos, insist that neither vegeta bles, croutons norcheese should be added to this already complex mixture, and that the salad should be tossed byhand, after sprinkling it with a simple vinaigrette, consisting of nothing but extra-virgin olive oil,homemade red wine vinegar, salt, pepper and perhaps a touch of Dijon mustard."
---"Fare of the Country; Melange of Greens Grown in France," Patricia Wells, New York Times, November 9, 1986 (sect. 10, p. 12)
[1991]
"Throughout the country, energetic and experimental gardeners and farmers arecreating scrumptious salads using eclectic blends of seasonal greens. Often referred to asmesclun, such concoctions have their origins in the markets of southern France and northernItaly and are the staples of everyday shoppers in Nice, Provence, Rome, and Athens. Mesclunwas introduced to our shores in part through the creativity of experimental and high-pricedrestaurants. What the laborer eats in Europe is often remarkably similar to what's served to thegastronomes of New York City.
"After nearly a decade, mesclun has begun to enter America's backyard gardens. One example ofthis trend is the popularity of 'Marvel of Four Seasons', a colorful red-leafed butterhead lettuce.This gorgeous and tasty lettuce--which also stands up to the heat of early summer--was relativelyunknown four or five years ago. At that time it was sold only in a few specialty seed catalogssuch as the Cook's Garden, Le Marche Seeds International, and Shepherd's Garden Seeds, usuallyunder the French name 'Merveille des Quatre Saisons'. Now this lettuce is available from largerseed companies as well.
"Mesclun is a French dialect word from the region around Nice and translates roughly as"mixture." The definition of the "proper" mixture of greens, however, is as varied as the numberof growers. Two of the most common ingredients are rocket, or arugula (Eruca vesicariasubspecies sativa), and chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium). Some people attribute mesclun'sbeginnings to thrifty market gardeners who harvested and sold the seedlings thinned from theirplots of salad greens. American gardeners and small-market growers have greatly expanded theEuropean concept to include edible wild greens, an amazing range of herbs, and colorful edibleflowers. Indeed, almost any edible plant can be used, and discovering new ingredients adds to thefun of growing and serving mesclun.
"One of the people who introduced and expanded the definition of mesclun is Doug Gosling, foreight years the head gardener of the Farallones Institute, in Occidental, California (recentlyrenamed the Center for Seven Generations Gardens). An astute gardener, Doug is known for thesuperb quality of his organically grown and meticulously gathered mesclun. One produce brokerin New York City rates the Farallones mix as "the best from the West Coast. It is the wonderfulblend of all the oddball and seasonal wild edibles that sets the Farallones mix apart from others."Gosling says growing mesclun ingredients "brings a renewed sense of discovery and joy to thegarden. We look at the entirety of a plant's life to see what it has to offer. This approach togrowing a salad is really more about a shift in attitudes than a change in gardening skills." Sometimes new salad ingredients turn out to be plants thought of as weeds. "We used to overlookplants like salad burnet [Sanguisorba officinalis], plantain [Plantago major], purslane [Portulacaoleracea], and wild mustard [Brassica juncea]," says Gosling. "Now we gather different parts ofeach and even move the plants around in the garden like any cultivated plant." Farallonesgardeners harvest the most succulent, tender, and tasty portion of each wild edible, and onlyduring its prime season. Tiny portions of young salad burnet leaves are gathered in spring.Tender leaves of lemony dock (Rumex acetosa) are snipped from the heart of the rosette. Onlythe first small leaves of the slightly bitter dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) are harvested. Tendertips of lamb-squarters (Chenopodium album) are collected only until the plant begins to bloom.The young, juicy foliage of purslane, however, can be used throughout the summer. And the besttime to use wild mustard is when the young flower buds have formed. At that stage, according toGosling, "they taste like a spicy form of sprouting broccoli."
"Culinary herbs can also be included in mesclun. When an herbal garnish is mixed into the salad,it's like incorporating some of the salad dressing--all that's needed is a splash of oil. The list ofherbs suitable for mesclun is long and includes plants such as chives (Allium schoenoprasum),summer savory (Satureja hortensis), fennel (Foeniculum vulgate), golden marjoram (Origanummarjorana), variegated lemon thyme (Thymus x citriodorus), the young leaves of lovage(Levisticum officinale), basil (Ocimum basilicum), lemon balm (Melissa officinalis), anisehyssop (Agastache foeniculum), and sweet cicely (Myrrhis odorata). Tiny sprigs, tender youngshoots, or the freshest flowers of these herbs are blended into the mix to give exciting bursts offlavor. Be careful using the mints, however, as they bruise easily and darken in storage; avinaigrette dressing will darken the foliage even further.
"While working at the Farallones Institute, Gosling developed a number of techniques for growingmesclun that have made it more efficient to cultivate, expanded its range of flavor, and extendedits growing season. As Gosling remarks, "We had the luxury of approaching salad gardening asan art. I could focus on excellence without the economic constraints that most farmers face." What impresses me the most about Farallones mesclun is its vitality and extended shelf life. Ifproperly refrigerated, it stays almost perfectly fresh for 10 days or more. Gosling explains themix's longevity thus: "Much of the keeping qualities are probably due to the early-morningharvest. We carefully hand pick only the best leaves. We field wash the mix only if there's a bitof wilt. The greens are spun dry. And certainly a healthy soil makes for healthy plants." The gardeners at Farallones prefer organic methods, which depend on a healthy, fertile soil. TheInstitute's gardens were begun in 1975; to date, 75 to 150 tons of compost have been applied tothe raised beds, which total less than four acres. For each 100 square feet of bed, the gardenersapply two wheelbarrow loads of compost and one wheelbarrow load of aged dairy manure. Nextthey single dig the beds, breaking up the surface clods as they shape the beds. Gosling says thathe and the other gardeners actually "massage the beds, crumbling all the small clods with ourhands." Finally, before each bed is planted, they sprinkle it lightly with quarry dust, which costs$9.00 a ton and provides valuable trace minerals."
---"Mesclun," R. Kourik, Horticulture, April 1991 (p. 36)
[1997]
"What's in a name? A lot of dining and gardening excitement when the name is "mesclum."One definition calls mesclum "nothing more than a mixture of special green, some tangy andsome mild, that are usually harvested young and mixed in your favorite salad.?" So meteoric isits rise that the National Garden Bureau, a nonprofit research organization funded by seedcompanies, has made 1997 the year of Mesclum."
---"Mesclum brings status to salads," Christian Science Monitor, March 20, 1997 (p. 15)
Compare with this 19th century American recipe:
"Chiffonade salad.
This salad consisits of all the salads in season. For example, lettuce, romaine, chicory escarole, tomato,beets, and celery cut in long slices. The dressing for this salad is made as follows: Take one hard-boiled egg,and smash it as fine as possible with a fork; then add two pinches of paprika and a pinch of salt, half ateaspoonful of French mustard, a teaspoonful of hashed chives, a teaspoonful of hashed estragon, twotablespoonfuls of oil, and three tablespoonfuls of vinegar. Add this to the salad, mix it well together and serve."
---"Women Can Order Dinners," New York Times, August 7, 1898 (p. 14)
Our survey of historic USA newspapers suggests this cold noodle salad was introduced to American diners in the early 1980s. This coincided with a resurging interest in "new" asian cuisine [apart from standard Chinese-American fare] AND carbo-loading diets. Think: chilled Italian pasta salad featuring small bite colorfully presented veggies & dressing. Cold Far east-inspired followed suit. Both salad types were promoted to savvylunchers as a healthy, economical, delicious alternative to standard fast, American traditional, or continental fare. As true with many recipes of this type, there are many variations and names. In the case of Oriental noodle salad, recommended noodles range from traditional (soba) to fast food (ramen). In a pinch "Italian" pasta products work just fine. The underlying culinary elements are cold noodles dressed oriental-type sauce. Sesame oil and peanuts are common, but not required, elements.
"Karen Lee's Cold Noodles With Spicy Peanut Sauce
8 ounces thin Chinese egg noodles or Japanese buckwheat noodles (soba) 1/4 cup smooth peanut butter or sesame butter 5 tablespoons brewed black tea 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce 1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons chili oil 2 teaspoons Oriental sesame oil 2 teaspoons wine vinegar 2 teaspoons sugar 1 teaspoon minced garlic 1 scallion, chopped. 1. Boil noodles until tender, drain, rinse in cold water and set aside, covered. 2. Mix peanut butter with tea until peanut butter has dissolved. Add soy sauce, chili oil (more or less depending on how spicy you want the dish), sesame oil, vinegar, sugar and garlic. Pour sauce over noodles and toss. 3. Sprinkle with scallions, toss again and serve. Yield: 4 servings."
---"Being Creative When a Picnic Impulse Hits," Florence Fabricant, The New York Times, May 27, 1981 (P. C1)
[1983]
"A revolution is under way in American cooking. It has become the primary focus for cooking schools and cookbooks, young chefs and new restaurants...Thousands of words have been written about the revolution, which highlights a mixture of culinary cultures; a return to the rustic, the homespun and the simple; an emphasis on fresh fruits and vegetables, fish and poultry in place of red meats; the use of meat as a condiment rather than the center of the meal, and the disappearance of thick gravies and cream sauces. A look at the combined impact of these elements leads to a somewhat unexpected conclusion, one that the professionals are just beginning to talk about: Nutrition and good food can co-exist...
"Cold Chinese Noodle Salad
8 ounces Chinese egg noodles, preferably fresh
1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil
3 tablespoons brewed tea or water
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons sesame seed paste
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 tablespoon dry sherry
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
2 garlic cloves, mashed to paste
Half-inch piece of fresh ginger, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoon chili oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Chopped green onion
1. Cook noodles in boiling water for 2 to 4 minutes, tasting frequently so they don't overcook. Drain well and toss with sesame oil. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days ahead.
2. Combine remaining ingredients except green onion and mix well. (Sesame paste often separates and can be difficult to recombine. Paste and some oil can be processed in food processor with steel knife. Add garlic and ginger, and while paste is being blended, garlic and ginger will be finely minced.) Refrigerate for up to a week. Before serving, return to room temperature.
3. To serve, mix sauce with noodles and serve topped with green onion.
Yield: 2 to 3 servings.
NOTE: If fresh Chinese egg noodles are not available, use American spaghettini or linguine. Leftover cooked chicken meat can be julienned and added to the sauce if desired. Chinese sesame paste is preferable to tahini, Middle Eastern sesame paste, because it has a more intense flavor, but tahini can be substituted.
"---"New Food Ways to Help a Busy Cook Cope," Marian Burros, New York Times, March 2, 1983 (p. C1)
[1986]
"Chilled Oriental Noodle Salad
1 (3-ounce) package chicken-flavored Japanese-style noodles
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Dash chili oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
Salt, pepper
1/4 cup very thin zucchini slices
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 tablespoon green onion, cut julienne
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 pound cooked bay shrimp
2 tablespoons toasted slivered almonds
Bring 2 cups water to a boil. Break noodles in several placed before opening package. Remove seasoning packet and set aside. Cook noodles over medium 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Reserve 1 teaspoon seasoning mix for dressing. Remove noodles from heat and stir in remainder of seasoning packet. Chill. Combine reserved seasoning mix, vegetable, sesame and chili oils, rice wine vinegar and sugar and season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix well. Add dressing, zucchini, carrot, green onion, garlic and shrimp to noodle mixture. Refrigerate. Sprinkle almonds over salad just before serving. Makes 2 servings. Variations: 3 ounces cooked chicken, turkey, beef, pork, lamb, canned salmon or tuna may be substituted for bay shrimp."
---"It's In The Bag," Lois Drake, Los Angeles Times, October 9, 1986 (p. K1)
[1991] [1995] ORIENTAL NOODLE SALAD
"The noodle was born in China. The peanut in South America. Cooks united the two in spicy cool salads. And we can't seem to get enough.
During the past decade, variations on the theme have become standards on menus of catering businesses, restaurants, supermarket delis, takeout food shops and casual cafes. Countless cookbooks include recipes for this popular dish, equally welcome on winter buffet tables and summertime picnic tables. When they're out of Oriental Noodle Salad at The Wedge, employees might as well duck behind the counter to avoid the wrath of disappointed customers. Leah Sprinkle, head chef at this specialty food store in University Village, says their blend of noodles with an Indonesian-style peanut sauce is a bestseller. During a busy week, with caterings, they make more than 50 pounds of it. Jane Hummer of Mangetout Inc. says the pairing of cool noodles and peanuts in salads seems to transcend all boundaries: "Whether we're catering at a construction site or in the elegant boardroom of a major corporation, this salad is a favorite."The blended flavors do a slow dance on the tongue - the sweet and sour from sugar and rice wine, the saltiness of soy sauce, the spiciness of chili peppers. But it's also the textures - the smoothness of cool noodles, the creaminess of peanut butter, the crunch of whole or chopped peanuts. Thin Chinese noodles - either dry or fresh - are standard for this salad. But you can substitute thin spaghetti - vermicelli or angel hair pasta. The salads are good for entertaining because most can be made in advance and refrigerated. As today's five recipes illustrate, imaginative cooks drive several culinary detours on their way to the same destination: -- Chinese Noodle Salad with Citrus and Spicy Peanuts gets flavor accents from orange juice and peel, rice and sherry vinegars, grated fresh ginger and jalapeno pepper. Raw shelled peanuts are baked with a mixture of oil, paprika, cayenne pepper and salt. Snow peas, carrot, green onions, daikon radish and cilantro provide more flavor, texture and eye appeal. The recipe is from Greens, the acclaimed vegetarian restaurant in San Francisco. Chef Annie Somerville says Chinese noodle salad has been a favorite since opening day, and this is the newest version.
-- The dressing for Asian Peanut Noodles includes crunchy peanut butter, brewed black tea, sesame oil and hot chili oil.
-- Peanut Noodles with Shrimp can serve as a main course salad. A half- pound of small cooked shrimp are tossed with the other ingredients, including pineapple chunks. The salad can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Stir in the roasted peanuts and diced cucumber just before serving.
-- Chunky peanut butter and coarsely chopped roasted peanuts both appear in Peanut-Yogurt Noodles with Slivered Vegetables. Matchstick slices of carrot and red bell pepper brighten the appearance.
---"Spicy Peanut and Pasta Theme is Privong Irresistibly Popular in Delis, Cafes and Cookbooks," Larry Brown, The Seattle Times, May 19, 1991 (p. F1)
"Remember when pasta salad meant elbow macaroni dressed with mayonnaise and not much else? Well, times have changed, and today the term pasta salad is just as apt to refer to Oriental noodles bathed in sesame oil or cheese tortellini tossed with sun-dried tomatoes. The options have swelled like noodles in water. Supermarkets offer a boatload of pastas, from tiny acine di pepe from Italy to soba noodles from Japan. Stir-ins, once limited to onions, celery and peppers, have expanded to exotic produce, imported cheeses and trendy seasonings. Even the dressings add variety, with flavored oils and infused vinegars pouring on new tastes. What all this means is that this summer's picnics and patio parties should not be boring. We offer a quartet of ideas, including a takeoff from the Middle Eastern tabbouleh, a sesame-flavored noodle salad from the Orient and a tortellini toss that's sunny with Mediterranean flavors. And for macaroni salad lovers, we present a version that is almost all-American.
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon chili paste, or more to taste
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh gingerroot
1/4 lb. fresh pea pods
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 medium-sized sweet red pepper, cut into julienne strips
12 ounces fresh Chinese noodles
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
1/4 cup chopped cilantro for garnish
Whisk together the vinegar, sesame oil, soy sauce, sugar, chili paste, garlic and ginger. Set aside. Remove stem ends and strings from pea pods and blanch in small amount of boiling water about 1 minute, until color brightens. Drain and refresh under cold running water. Pat dry and cut crosswise into thirds. Place in mixing bowl with green onions and red pepper. Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and cool under cold running water just until noodles are lukewarm. Drain and pat dry. Add to mixing bowl. Pour in dressing and toss thoroughly. Add peanuts and cilantro and toss again. Serve at room temperature. Makes 8 to 10 servings."
---"Pasta Salads Sport International Flair," Sue Dawson, Columbus Dispatch, June 7, 1995, (p. H1)
"Flavors from the Orient have been captured in Oriental-Chef salad dressing. Oriental-Chef's four new flavors--delicate sesame, tangy soy, snappy ginger and creamy lemon--have been developed for American tastes. The dressing contain natural ingredients and about half the caloires of regular dressings. They are made with safflower and corn oil, which are low in cholesterol. Oriental-Chef dressings are processed in Baldwin park by Q&B Foods, Inc., of Q.P. Corp."
---"New dressings from the Orient," Los Angeles Times, Feburary 28, 1985 (p. K42)
The concept is ancient, the practice is contemporary. Food historians confirm salads and breads of all sortswere enjoyed by Ancient mediterranean peoples. Bread dried quickly in the hot southern European climate.Thrifty people were not inclined to discard old bread; they cooked with it. Both salads and breads were oftencombined with tangy oil-based dressings. The marriage of all three was inevitable. Panzanella!
Modern recipes for panzanella (there are dozens of variations) can't be older than the 16th century. Why?Tomatoes are a new world food. The general concensus of the food experts is that panzanella, as we knowit today, originated in the middle regions of Italy. The recipe was promoted to mainstream America in the late 1970s.The oldest reference to panzanella in the New York Timesis a restaurant review for Da Silvano, January 14, 1977 (p. 56). A survey of magazine and newspaperarticles reveals this salad became popular with gourmet diners in the United States sometime during the1980s. Today? We find panzanella salad made with all sorts of interesting ingredients such as French bread,commercially-made salad dressings, artichoke hearts, and seafood.
"Panzanella...Summer salad of central Italy consisting of tomatoes, cucumber, onion, basil, vinegar, and oliveoil. Also pan molle (soft bread) and panbagnato (soaked bread). From the Latin panis (bread)."
---Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink, John Mariani [Broadway Books:New York] 1997 (p. 178)
"Panzanella (Tuscan bread salad). This simple country salad surfaced on this side of the Atlantic in the 1980swith the proliferation of high-end Italian restaurants. There are dozens of variations on the theme."
---The American Century Cookbook: The Most Popular Recipes of the 20th Century, Jean Anderson [Clarkson Potter:NewYork] 1997 (p. 304)
"Waverly Root speaks none too fondly of panzanella: "A poor man's lunch," he calls it, "salad dressing onbread, producing a sogginess which accounts for its name (litlle swamp)." Mr. Root and his palatenotwithstanding, panzanella is one terrific lunch. Basically a Tuscan bread salad with oil and vinegar, what elseit contains depends upon who is doing the cooking. Tuscans call panzanella a cold picnic dish, with the ingredients put together at the last minute, the bread soaked in water at home, the tomatoes and cucumberssimply picked from the vines as needed. But one Roman source describes it as a first course served in largefamilies to fill everyone up before the more expensive second-course dishes are put on the table. Tony May,the owner of Sandro's, Pailio and La Camelia, three Italian restaurants in Manhattan, says the dish is alsocalled pane molle, which means "soft bread."...Earthy and satisfying, panzanella is, at the same time, cool andrefreshing. In "The Food of the Western World," Theodora FitzGibbon talks about the anchovies, chilies, basil,garlic and capers it contains by never mentions tomatoes, except as a garnish. Other recipes call for onion,cucumber and celery. On calls for spring onions rather than yellow of red onions. Mr. Fiorti uses both greenand red peppers...The proportions vary from cook to cook. Some use vast quantities of olive oil--six ouncesto a half pound of bread--while others use only two ounces for a pound of bread. In fact, panzanella is a saladdesigned to be made with leftover, stale bread and whatever of the other ingredients are available. Italiabread--purists insist it must be Tuscan bread--is also indispensible, though there have been recipessuggesting the substitution of whole-wheat bread or rye bread for those who are not fortunate enough to haveeasy access to the comactly textured Italian, or even French, country loaves."
---"Panzanella, a Salad Perfect for Summer," Marian Burros, De Gustibus column, The New York Times, June21, 1986 (p. 52)
"Q: I am trying to recreate a tomato and bread salad that I had when I was in Italy - and I never seemto be able to get it just right. Something is missing. Hopefully you have some advice. Thanks. _ Jay.J.A: So you want to make a Panzanella Salad. Panzanella ... doesn't it sound like some sort of militaryattack, using old-fashioned cannons? Actually it's what a tomato and bread salad is called....Tuscanbread, some seasonal tomatoes, some fresh basil, a little bit of really good local olive oil, and somebalsamic vinegar. Toss it all in a bowl... Panzanella was probably invented for three reasons. Oneof them was because Italy was a very poor country for many years and bread was inexpensive. Also,nothing was wasted, and with this recipe, they could use stale bread. The last reason it probably cameabout was in the warm, dry Italian summers it was useless trying to keep the bread fresh. When itbecame dry they figured out a way to revive it with some simple ingredients. Today we think ofPanzanella as a bread and tomato salad, but it's interesting to note that the salad actually dates tobefore the 1500s when tomatoes, a product from the New World, were unknown in Europe. So theoriginal Panzanella salad did not have tomatoes, but probably included whatever was on hand in thegarden _ like peppers, cucumbers, onions, and garlic, along with some capers, black olives, possiblyanchovies, olive oil and a little bit of vinegar or lemon juice. I'm going to assume that you had thePanzanella in Tuscany, because it is considered a Tuscan dish (however, there are distinctivePanzanella salads from other regions, such as Sicily.)"
---"The Chef's Table: Panzanella done just right," Jim Coleman and Candace Hagan, PhiladelphiaDaily News, July 26, 2004 (food news)
[1947]
"Perfection Salad
1/3 c. Dilute vinegar
1 1/3 c. Boiling water
3/4 Teaspoon Salt
1/3 c. Sugar
1 1/3 tb. Gelatine
1/3 c. Cold water
Juice of 1 lemon
2/3 c. Cabbage, shredded finely
1 1/2 c. Celery, diced
1/8 c. Sweet red pepper
1. Mix boiling water, vinegar, salt and sugar; heat to boiling point.
2. Soften gelatine in cold water; dissolve in boiling liquid.
3. Add lemon juice; strain, chill, stirring occasionally.4. When slightly thickened, add vegetables.
5. Turn into moistened moulds; chill.
Note.--The jelly mixture of this salad may be used for moulding other vegetables, as asparagus andpimiento, beets and celery, carrots and peas. Vegetable stock may be used as part of the liquid in thejelly."
---The Canadian Cookbook, Nellie Lyle Pattinson, Revised and Enlarged Edition [RyersonPress:Toronto] 1947 (p. 205)
Arnold Shircliffe, executive chef of Chicago's legendary Edgewater Beach Hotel, traced the originof the potato salad to the 16th century. These are his notes:
"Early potato salad: John Gerrard in 1597 writes about potatoes and their virtues and said that"they are sometimes boiled and sopped in wine, by others boiled with prunes, and likewise othersdress them (after roasting them in the ashes) in oil, vinegar and salt, every man according to hisown taste. However they be dressed, they comfort, nourish and strengthen the body." This is oneof the first potato salads mentioned in any book."
---Edgewater Beach Hotel Salad Book, Arnold Shircliffe [Hotel Monthly Press:EvanstonIL] 1928 (p. 231)
Potato salad-type recipes were introduced to America by European settlers, who again adaptedtraditional foods to local ingredients. This accounts for regional potato salad variations in theUnited States. Potato salad, as we know it today, became popular in the second half of the 19thcentury. Cold potato salads evolved from British and French recipes. Warm potato saladsfollowed the German preference for hot vinegar and bacon dressings served over vegetables.
Print evidence confirms recipes for potato salads were often included in 19th centuryAmerican cooking texts. These recipes had many different names. The Cassells Dictionary ofCookery [London:1875?] contains three recipes for potato salad, one without notes[presumably British or American], a French recipe and a German recipe.The French recipe is verysimilar to the first and is also served cold. The German recipe required bacon. Early cold potatosalad recipes often called for "French dressing" (Our notes on French dressing here ). Some recipes specifically indicate this is aneconomy dish, "a good way to dispose of leftover potatoes." During the1940s mayonnaise began to supplant French dressing as the congealer of choice. It is interestingtonote that during both World Wars recipes for German-style potato salad did not bear thatcountry's moniker. They were simply listed as "hot potato salad."
This is what the food writers have to say:
"Potato salad. A cold or hot side dish made with potatoes, mayonnaise, and seasonings. It becamevery popular in the second half of the nineteenth century and is a staple of both home andfood-store kitchens. Hot potato salad, usually made with bacon, onion, and vinegar dressing, wasassociated with German immigrants and therefore often called "German potato salad."
---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:NewYork] 1999 (p. 253)
"There seems to be no dogma concerning the origins of potato salad, but Germany is a good placetobegin. As a country with lots of potatoes and lots of recipes for potatoes, Germany almostcertainly wasamong the first to look at cooked small new potatoes or cut chunks of larger spuds and imaginethemblanketed with dressing. The dressing they came up with was a classic. Kin to the heated dressingused towilt spinach salad, this one thrilled German taste buds, raised as they were on sauerkraut andsauerbratenwith vinegar bite. Some versions featured a little coarse mustard, others cut the sour with a littlesugar, andmost added bacon and even its flavorful drippings. By the time the notion of potato salad reachedFrance,vinegar wasn't quite good enough. The French demanded full-scale vinaigrette, and it was nosweat tosatisfy their demands. Whenever you see something called "French potato salad," it's a safe betyou're infor potatoes (and probably other vegetables, too) in a light vinaigrette, with Dijon mustard andsweettarragon.
When potato salad caught on in the United States, in the second half of the 19th century, itwas probablyby way of German immigrants. To this day, most people who know how to cook, or at least knowhow toeat, understand that "German potato salad" will be served warm, will feature no mayonnaise, andwill bepleasantly tart with vinegar.The American idea of making potato salad with mayonnaise has norecordedhistory - but then again, neither does the idea of mayonnaise itself. Clearly a sauce created inFrance usingegg yolks, oil and either lemon juice or vinegar, little is clear after that. Virtually every Frenchbible of cuisineexplains the name differently, ranging from a link to "Magon," the Carthaginian general whohelped hisbrother Hannibal battle the Romans," to a possible misspelling of "Bayonnaise," hailing from thetown ofBayonne in France - and later, less romantically, New Jersey.
However it got the name, mayonnaise became the favored dressing for American potato saladfor more"There seems to be no dogma concerning the origins of potato salad, but Germany is a good placetobegin. As a country with lots of potatoes and lots of recipes for potatoes, Germany almostcertainly wasamong the first to look at cooked small new potatoes or cut chunks of larger spuds and imaginethemblanketed with dressing. The dressing they came up with was a classic. Kin to the heated dressingused towilt spinach salad, this one thrilled German taste buds, raised as they were on sauerkraut andsauerbratenwith vinegar bite. Some versions featured a little coarse mustard, others cut the sour with a littlesugar, andmost added bacon and even its flavorful drippings. By the time the notion of potato salad reachedFrance,vinegar wasn't quite good enough. The French demanded full-scale vinaigrette, and it was nosweat tosatisfy their demands. Whenever you see something called "French potato salad," it's a safe betyou're infor potatoes (and probably other vegetables, too) in a light vinaigrette, with Dijon mustard andsweettarragon.
When potato salad caught on in the United States, in the second half of the 19th century, itwas probablyby way of German immigrants. To this day, most people who know how to cook, or at least knowhow toeat, understand that "German potato salad" will be served warm, will feature no mayonnaise, andwill bepleasantly tart with vinegar.The American idea of making potato salad with mayonnaise has norecordedhistory - but then again, neither does the idea of mayonnaise itself. Clearly a sauce created inFrance usingegg yolks, oil and either lemon juice or vinegar, little is clear after that. Virtually every Frenchbible of cuisineexplains the name differently, ranging from a link to "Magon," the Carthaginian general whohelped hisbrother Hannibal battle the Romans," to a possible misspelling of "Bayonnaise," hailing from thetown ofBayonne in France - and later, less romantically, New Jersey. However it got the name, mayonnaise became the favored dressing for American potato saladfor morethan a century. Its sweet, creamy mouthfeel served up just the right delight when wrapped aroundsolid,dependable American potatoes."
---"A world of potato salads; Labor Day tradition gets global makeover," John DeMers, TheHoustonChronicle, August 29, 2001 (Food: p. 1)
"Despite its popularity in this country, potato salad is not an all-American creation. Potato salad issaid to beof Teutonic origin, prepared when boiled potatoes were tossed with oil, vinegar and seasonings, adishknown now as German potato salad. The French, Norwegians, Swedes, Russians and Italians allhave theirown versions. Germans make a marvelous warm potato salad to which they add tiny bits of freshtomatoand red and green bell peppers, then toss the whole concoction with a warm bacon and oniondressing.The Greeks also prefer warm potato salad, with garlic, olive oil and lemon. Italian potato salad isapt tohave ample amounts of fresh parsley, often chunks of salami and is dressed with an olive oil andvinegardressing. American potato salad is heavier and heartier than European versions. Some people likelots ofadditions such as onion, sweet pickles, celery, hard-cooked eggs, pimento, chives, olives andparsley."
---"Potato salad revisited," St. Louis Post-Dispatch, August 28, 1989 (Food p. 1)
---Herball or General Historie of Plants, John Gerard [London]
[1863] "The same [potatoes], in salad
Cook them [potatoes] without water in an oven, or hot cinders, if handy; then peel and cut themin thin slices; place them in a salad dish, season with chopped parsley, sweet oil, vinegar, salt, andpepper, and serve. You may used butter instead of oil if you serve warm; you may also add slicesof beets, and of pickled cucumbers, according to taste."
---What to Eat and How to Cook It, Pierre Blot [Appleton and Company:New York] (p.194)
[1878]
"Potato Salad.
When materials for a salad are scarce, this is a good way of disposing of cold potatoes. Slicethem, and dress them with oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper, precisely like any other salad; adding alittle chives, or an onion, and parsley chopped fine. If oil is not agreeable, use cream or a littlemelted butter."
---Jennie June's American Cookery Book, Mrs. J. S. Croly [Excelsior Publishing:NewYork] 1878 (p. 122)
[1884] "Potato salad (cold)
French &boiled dressings
---Boston Cooking School Cook Book, Mrs. D.A. Lincoln [page through site forcompleterecipes]
[1908] "Potato salad
The best potato salad is made from waxy yellow potatoes, cooked with their jackets on, thepeeled, cut up while still warm and dressed before they become cold. Put the potatoes into a saladbowl, then pour over them a little hot water, or, better still, a little hot broth from the soupkettle. Season it at once with salt, pepper, and for every teaspoonful vinegar use four spoonfulsolive oil. Add as you like chopped onion, parsley, chives or celery, toss without breaking thepotatoes, then set in the ice box to chill. When ready to serve put into individual lettuce leaves ora salad bowl lined with lettuce, and on top put a spoonful of boiled dressing as a garnish."
---New York Evening Telegram Cook Book, Emma Paddock Telford (p. 98)
[NOTE: This book does not contain a recipe for titled "boiled dressing." It includes a recipe forcooked salad dressing which is boiled (p. 93). Indgredients are: egg yolks, dry mustard, salt,butter, hot vinegar, and cream. This dressing is to be stored in a cool place. No suggestionsregarding serving temperature. A separate recipe for mayonnaise appears on page 94.
[1946] "Potato Salad with Mayonnaise
Boil in their jackets in a covered saucepan until they are tender:
Potatoes
Chill them for several hours, peel and slice them. Marinate them well with:
French dressing
Soup stock or canned boullion.
Chop or slice and add:
Hard-cooked eggs
Onions
Olives
Pickles
Celery
Cucumbers
Capers
Season the salad well with:
Salt
Paprika
A few grains of cayenne
Horseradish (optional)
After 1 hour or more add:
Mayonnaise dressing, boiled salad dressing or sour cream or cream."
---The Joy of Cooking, Irma S. Rombauer [Bobbs Merrill:Indianapolis] 1946 (p. 407)
Recommended reading: The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World,Larry Zukerman [North Point Press:New York] 1998.
