John Evelyn, the illustrious author of the ' Sylva/
held ' sallets/ as he calls them, to be an essential part
of the daily food of man, and that no dinner is com-
plete without one. They add a zest to more solid
viands ; they are anti-scorbutic, and purify the blood,
and, if properly dressed, they assist digestion. We
are so entirely of John Evelyn's opinion, that we are
tempted to devote a chapter to this subject.
The term salad is commonly applied in England
to a dish or bowl of lettuce leaves mingled with
mustard and cress, which used to be habitually served
with a mixture of yolk of Qgg, cream, vinegar, mustard,
salt, and pepper prepared beforehand, and poured out
of a ribbed glass bottle. This singular compound,
which is peculiar to this country, may well explain the
fact that salads are not so popular in England as in
most other countries, and are commonly held to be
indigestible, if not unpalatable, food. But a salad
dressed after this fashion must be regarded as a salad
of the dark ages, to be partaken of with hesitation and
distrust. The primary condition of a good salad is,
that it consists of cold fresh vegetables, either uncooked
352 SALADS.
or cooked, dressed with an abundance o{ good olive oil
and a slight flavour of the best white wine vinegar, to
which may be added a Httle salt and mustard. The
proportion should be four or five tablespoonsful of oil
to one of vinegar. In our humble opinion whatever
is added to this simple preparation is rather injurious
than otherwise. It is essential that the salad be thus
made only a few minutes before it is eaten. If it be
allowed to stand, even for half an hour, the leaves
of the lettuce lose their crispness and become sodden.
The oil being poured from a spoon over the leaves
cut into pieces of a moderate size, not too small,
the whole salad should be carefully turned over
and over again with the salad fork and spoon (the
French call it fatigiier la salade) until every part of it
receives an equal share of the liquid. Without good
olive oil no salad worthy of the name can be made ;
and it is the presence of the oil which softens, corrects,
and makes wholesome the crudity of the plants. The
vinegar should be added and stirred in after the oil is
well distributed over the leaves.
The lettuce is undoubtedly the queen of salad
vegetables, and its merit is rather impaired than aided
by the addition of mustard and cress, although these
have their advantage when no other green food can
be obtained. A slice or two of beetroot, a head of
celery cut up, and, to some tastes, a suspicion of onion
or shallot, are improvements. Tarragon vinegar may
be used with advantage by those who like the flavour
of that herb.
Lettuces can now be grown or purchased during
a great part of the year, though they are not always
SALADS. 353
cheap. But, in default of lettuce, the endive o{ two
sorts, the smooth Batavian endive and the curled
endive, affords an excellent resource. In winter
corn salad (French mdcJie), which may easily be grown
and stands all weathers, is a valuable leaf and very
wholesome.
Page 142
Presented as published in 1882. Historical recipes may not meet modern food-safety standards. Cook from the modern interpretation, not the original instructions.
AI-modernized reading of the original text
John Evelyn, the illustrious author of the ' Sylva/ held ' sallets/ as he calls them, to be an essential part of the daily food of man, and that no dinner is complete without one. They add a zest to more solid viands ; they are anti-scorbutic, and purify the blood, and, if properly dressed, they assist digestion. We are so entirely of John Evelyn's opinion, that we are tempted to devote a chapter to this subject.
The term salad is commonly applied in England to a dish or bowl of lettuce leaves mingled with mustard and cress, which used to be habitually served with a mixture of yolk of egg, cream, vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper prepared beforehand, and poured out of a ribbed glass bottle. This singular compound, which is peculiar to this country, may well explain the fact that salads are not so popular in England as in most other countries, and are commonly held to be indigestible, if not unpalatable, food. But a salad dressed after this fashion must be regarded as a salad of the dark ages, to be partaken of with hesitation and distrust. The primary condition of a good salad is, that it consists of cold fresh vegetables, either uncooked
or cooked, dressed with an abundance o{ good olive oil and a slight flavour of the best white wine vinegar, to which may be added a Httle salt and mustard. The proportion should be four or five tablespoonsful of oil to one of vinegar. In our humble opinion whatever is added to this simple preparation is rather injurious than otherwise. It is essential that the salad be thus made only a few minutes before it is eaten. If it be allowed to stand, even for half an hour, the leaves of the lettuce lose their crispness and become sodden. The oil being poured from a spoon over the leaves cut into pieces of a moderate size, not too small, the whole salad should be carefully turned over and over again with the salad fork and spoon (the French call it fatigiier la salade) until every part of it receives an equal share of the liquid. Without good olive oil no salad worthy of the name can be made ; and it is the presence of the oil which softens, corrects, and makes wholesome the crudity of the plants. The vinegar should be added and stirred in after the oil is well distributed over the leaves.
The lettuce is undoubtedly the queen of salad vegetables, and its merit is rather impaired than aided by the addition of mustard and cress, although these have their advantage when no other green food can be obtained. A slice or two of beetroot, a head of celery cut up, and, to some tastes, a suspicion of onion or shallot, are improvements. Tarragon vinegar may be used with advantage by those who like the flavour of that herb.
Lettuces can now be grown or purchased during a great part of the year, though they are not always
cheap. But, in default of lettuce, the endive o{ two sorts, the smooth Batavian endive and the curled endive, affords an excellent resource. In winter corn salad (French mdcJie), which may easily be grown and stands all weathers, is a valuable leaf and very wholesome.