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.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

Peter Aitken wrote:
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.

"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
---

---= BOYCOTT FRANCE (belgium) GERMANY--SPAIN =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
*********
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."
Sheldon
````````````

"Peter Aitken" wrote in message
...
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" wrote in message
...
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.

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap 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

wrote in message ...
Peter Aitken wrote:
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.


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 crap from my email address before using.

"Anthony" wrote in message
...

"Peter Aitken" wrote in message
...
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.


Such as fruit salad!

On Tue, 04 May 2004 13:41:25 GMT, "Chris and Bob Neidecker"
wrote:


"Anthony" wrote in message
...

"Peter Aitken" wrote in message
...
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.


Such as fruit salad!

Also:
congealed salad
cookie salad
Crisco salad

Tara

Tara wrote:

Crisco salad

that sounds horrid !
What *is* that ?


--
16-20-26

In article ,
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?

Regards,
Ranee

--
Remove do not and spam to e-mail me.

"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" wrote in message
...
In article ,
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?

Regards,
Ranee


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


--
Peter Aitken

Remove the crap from my email address before using.

On Wed, 05 May 2004 23:23:47 -0700, Ranee Mueller
wrote:

In article ,
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

On Thu, 06 May 2004 13:10:10 GMT, "Peter Aitken"
wrote:

"Ranee Mueller" wrote in message
...
In article ,
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?

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" wrote in message
...
: On Wed, 05 May 2004 23:23:47 -0700, Ranee Mueller
: wrote:
:
: In article ,
: 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
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