The word "salad" is often used interchangeably with its ingredients, particularly leafy greens, but refers specifically to a cold dish of raw or cooked elements dressed with an oil-based sauce. For centuries, wild, leafy plants were collected and eaten raw, particularly in spring. During the time of Roman England, a preference for eating beet greens expanded to include lettuces, cucumbers, carrots, endive and sorrel, which were already part of the Roman diet. Six centuries later, medieval monks were planting these ingredients in their herb gardens. It wasn't until the turn of the 17th century that a number of accounts were written that shed light on the beginnings of our modern salads. The subject was engaging enough to produce Acetaria: A Discourse of Sallets in 1699 by Englishman John Evelyn. In 1796, the notion of a winter salad was introduced by Amelia Simmons in American Cookery, the same year that Sidney Smith published An Herb Sallad for the Tavern Bowl, in which the subject was given poetic treatment, such as his directions for tossing a salad: "Let onion odours lurk within the bowl and half suspected, animate the whole." Three years later, an herbal compendium listed 35 ingredients used in salads. Among the most famous salads known in the U.S and Canada are the Salmagundi (1726); Waldorf (1896); Caesar (1924); and Cobb (1937).
From The Food Encyclopedia by Jacques Rolland and Carol Sherman
