What's a "salad?"

Peter Aitken said:

I got to thinking about the word "salad" and what it
means. It was surprisingly hard to come up with even a
halfway good definition Salads can contain meat, fish,
vegetables, or fruit in seemingly endless combinations.
They are usually cold or tepid but can also be warm
(German potato salad for example). Then I thought that the
defining characteristic might be a sauce or dressing that
has something sour as an important ingredient - but if I
toss tomatoes with just olive oil, salt, and pepper is
that not a salad? So, I am stumped and thought I would
throw this out for discussion.

My Websters dictionary says works for me. Here's the
definition of the word "salad" and it does seem to imply
that a salad's defining characteristic is a dressing of
some sort.

salad

\Sal"ad\ (s[a^]l"ad), n. [F. salade, OIt. salata, It.
insalata, fr. salare to salt, fr. L. sal salt. See Salt, and
cf. Slaw.] 1. A preparation of vegetables, as lettuce,
celery, water cress, onions, etc., usually dressed with
salt, vinegar, oil, and spice, and eaten for giving a relish
to other food; as, lettuce salad; tomato salad, etc.

Leaves eaten raw are termed salad. --I. Watts.

2. A dish composed of chopped meat or fish, esp. chicken or
lobster, mixed with lettuce or other vegetables, and
seasoned with oil, vinegar, mustard, and other
condiments; as, chicken salad; lobster salad.

Quoted message said:

"Peter Aitken"

I got to thinking about the word "salad" and what it means.
It was surprisingly hard to come up with even a halfway
good definition Salads can contain meat, fish, vegetables,
or fruit in seemingly endless combinations. They are
usually cold or tepid but can also be warm (German potato
salad for example). Then I thought that the defining
characteristic might be a sauce or dressing that has
something sour as an important ingredient - but if I toss
tomatoes with just olive oil, salt, and pepper is that not
a salad? So, I am stumped and thought I would throw this
out for discussion.

That's like asking the same about an "entree"...

Unless a specific type of salad is indicated; salad with a
verifier ie. tossed green salad, potato salad, fruit salad,
waldorf salad, tuna salad, etc. "salad" in of itself refers
to an incongruous mixture; a hodgepodge. At all the
eateries I've ever been to the type of salad has always
been *identified*... I've never yet seen a menu entry that
says just "salad"... even a menu heading for a list of
salad types will say "SaladS", and then list the particular
saladS offered. If there is only one type of salad offered
then that salad will be *described*, ie. "Minnesotta Beet
Salad Supreme".

Merriam Webster _Thesaurus_

salad

noun

Synonyms: MISCELLANY 1, brew, hash, mélange, mishmash,
pasticcio, pastiche, potpourri, salmagundi, stew
---

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"Peter Aitken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I got to thinking about the word "salad" and what it
means.

The term was originally derived from the Latin sal, (salt)
which yielded the form salata, "salted things", such as the
raw vegetables eaten in classical times with a dressing of
oil, vinegar, or salt. But now the net is so wide as to defy
any encompassing definition; the only common thread seems to
be that the ingredients are mixed with oil and an acid,
usually vinegar or lemon juice, but there well may be dishes
called salads which don't comply with even this meagre
description.

"Peter Aitken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I got to thinking about the word "salad" and what it
means. It was surprisingly hard to come up with even a
halfway good definition Salads

can

Quoted message said:

contain meat, fish, vegetables, or fruit in
seemingly endless

combinations.

Quoted message said:

They are usually cold or tepid but can also be warm
(German potato salad

for

Quoted message said:

example). Then I thought that the defining characteristic
might be a sauce or dressing that has something sour as an
important ingredient - but if I toss tomatoes with just
olive oil, salt, and pepper is that not a salad?

So,

Quoted message said:

I am stumped and thought I would throw this out for
discussion.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

If I remember correctly from class, a salad is defined as a
mixture of food tossed or topped with a moist dressing.
Olive oil, salt and pepper constitute a moist dressing,
therefore it is a salad. There need not be anything sour in
it. Mayo isn't sour, but it is used for dressing some salads
too. Why, I don't know, but it is.

kimberly

x-no-archive: yes

Ultimately, the word goes back to the Latin word for "salt."
It's related to the word for "salsa." For me, the basic idea
of salad is still that it has a highly flavored usually
salty dressing. Since salad is often a mixed dish, it's
extended to mean anything where a combination of ingredients
is mixed together. But I think relatively many such dishes
also have a dressing.

In a lot of restaurants in Italy, they seem to take the
"salt" part very literally, and the default salad can be
as simple as one kind of lettuce with a light oil and
vinegar dressing and so much salt that you can see the
grains glisten.

Naomi D.

<[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Peter Aitken said:

I got to thinking about the word "salad" and what it
means. It was surprisingly hard to come up with even a
halfway good definition Salads

can

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

contain meat, fish, vegetables, or fruit in seemingly
endless

combinations.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

They are usually cold or tepid but can also be warm
(German potato salad

for

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

example). Then I thought that the defining
characteristic might be a

sauce

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

or dressing that has something sour as an important
ingredient - but if

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

toss tomatoes with just olive oil, salt, and pepper is
that not a salad?

So,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I am stumped and thought I would throw this out for
discussion.

My Websters dictionary says works for me. Here's the
definition of the word "salad" and it does seem to imply
that a salad's defining characteristic is a dressing of
some sort.

salad

\Sal"ad\ (s[a^]l"ad), n. [F. salade, OIt. salata, It.
insalata, fr. salare

to salt,

Quoted message said:

fr. L. sal salt. See Salt, and cf. Slaw.] 1. A preparation
of vegetables,

as lettuce,

Quoted message said:

celery, water cress, onions, etc., usually dressed with
salt, vinegar,

oil, and spice,

Quoted message said:

and eaten for giving a relish to other food; as, lettuce
salad; tomato

salad, etc.

Quoted message said:

Leaves eaten raw are termed salad. --I. Watts.

2. A dish composed of chopped meat or fish, esp. chicken
or lobster, mixed

with lettuce

Quoted message said:

or other vegetables, and seasoned with oil, vinegar,
mustard, and other

condiments; as,

Quoted message said:

chicken salad; lobster salad.

I dunno, Stan - this definition means that canned tuna
mixed with mayo is not tuna salad unless you add celery or
another veg.

Maybe salad is like pornography as described by a judge: I
can't define it but I know it when I see it."

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

"Anthony" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

"Peter Aitken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
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Quoted message said:

I got to thinking about the word "salad" and what it
means.

The term was originally derived from the Latin sal, (salt)
which yielded

the

Quoted message said:

form salata, "salted things", such as the raw vegetables
eaten in

classical

Quoted message said:

times with a dressing of oil, vinegar, or salt. But now
the net is so

wide

Quoted message said:

as to defy any encompassing definition; the only common
thread seems to be that the ingredients are mixed with oil
and an acid, usually vinegar or lemon juice, but there
well may be dishes called salads which don't comply with
even this meagre description.

Such as fruit salad!

Chris and Bob Neidecker said:

"Anthony" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:iJqdnWCtypCZIAvdRVn-
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Peter Aitken" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I got to thinking about the word "salad" and what it
means.

The term was originally derived from the Latin sal,
(salt) which yielded

the

Quoted message said:

form salata, "salted things", such as the raw vegetables
eaten in

classical

Quoted message said:

times with a dressing of oil, vinegar, or salt. But now
the net is so

wide

Quoted message said:

as to defy any encompassing definition; the only common
thread seems to be that the ingredients are mixed with
oil and an acid, usually vinegar or lemon juice, but
there well may be dishes called salads which don't comply
with even this meagre description.

Such as fruit salad!

Also: congealed salad cookie salad Crisco salad

Tara

Tara said:

Crisco salad

that sounds horrid ! What *is* that ?

--
16-20-26

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

congealed salad cookie salad Crisco salad

Having lived in the south for a little while, I know what
a congealed salad is, but what the heck are cookie salads
and Crisco salads?

Regards, Ranee

--
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"The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord
of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by man."
Acts 17:24

"Ranee Mueller" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

congealed salad cookie salad Crisco salad

Having lived in the south for a little while, I know
what a congealed salad is, but what the heck are cookie
salads and Crisco salads?

Regards, Ranee

A congealed salad is a Jello salad, no? I am curious about
the others as well.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

Ranee Mueller said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

congealed salad cookie salad Crisco salad

Having lived in the south for a little while, I know
what a congealed salad is, but what the heck are cookie
salads and Crisco salads?

Cookie salads show up at potlucks once in a while. They are
basically pudding with crushed Fudge Stripe cookies and
sometimes fruit folded in, maybe topped with Cool Whip.

I've never seen, made, nor tasted Crisco salad, but the
recipe is in one of my Calling All Cooks cookbooks. You
layer graham crackers and a jello mixture with Crisco
creamed with sugar. It sounds ghastly, but then again, Oreo
filling is basically Crisco and sugar, so who knows?

Tara

Peter Aitken said:

"Ranee Mueller" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message news:raneemdonot-
[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

congealed salad cookie salad Crisco salad

Having lived in the south for a little while, I know
what a congealed salad is, but what the heck are
cookie salads and Crisco salads?

Regards, Ranee

A congealed salad is a Jello salad, no? I am curious about
the others as well.

Yes, congealed salad is Jello salad. I always think of
congealed salad as a creamy Jello salad.

Tara

"Tara" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...
: On Wed, 05 May 2004 23:23:47 -0700, Ranee Mueller
: <[email hidden]> wrote:
:
: >In article <[email hidden]>,
: >[email hidden] wrote:
: >
: >> congealed salad cookie salad Crisco salad
: >
: > Having lived in the south for a little while, I know
: > what a
congealed
: >salad is, but what the heck are cookie salads and Crisco
salads?
:
: Cookie salads show up at potlucks once in a while.
: They are
basically
: pudding with crushed Fudge Stripe cookies and
: sometimes fruit
folded
: in, maybe topped with Cool Whip.
:
: I've never seen, made, nor tasted Crisco salad, but
: the recipe
is in
: one of my Calling All Cooks cookbooks. You layer graham
crackers and
: a jello mixture with Crisco creamed with sugar. It sounds
ghastly,
: but then again, Oreo filling is basically Crisco and
: sugar, so
who
: knows?
:
: Tara
==========

Crisco (or other shortening), powdered sugar and vanilla
extract is how a lot of bakeries frost their cakes, too.
--
Cyndi <Remove a "b" to reply