Talk:Salad

"Dressing of Salad" listed at Redirects for discussion

An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Dressing of Salad. Please participate in the redirect discussion if you wish to do so. Steel1943 (talk) 19:33, 1 September 2019 (UTC)

"Salad's Sauce" listed at Redirects for discussion

An editor has asked for a discussion to address the redirect Salad's Sauce. Please participate in the redirect discussion if you wish to do so. Steel1943 (talk) 19:34, 1 September 2019 (UTC)

The definition of salad

From what I've been able to tell from my research, ever since salads became a concept, way back in ancient Rome, they have been made from vegetables, salt (which is what the name originates from), and possibly dressings of oil and/or vinegar. The trend of calling dishes made from other ingredients (such as pasta, bread, cheese or meat) salads is mostly a United States and 20th century phenomenon (with the occasional local exception, such as Niçoise, which has anchovies in addition to vegetables, and panzanella, which has pieces of bread in addition to vegetables). The article "What is a salad – and why are the British so precious about it?" from the Financial Times is somewhat illuminating (you can get to it from a google search, otherwise it seems to be behind a paywall).

I am hesitant to edit this article, though, because I didn't find any authoritative sources. So, I encourage anyone with better sources for this part of history to step in and make the necessary changes in the article, so that it's not so US-centric any more. Silver hr (talk) 18:59, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

That all seems to be covered in the article already, so I'm not too sure of the point you are making. -Roxy, the PROD. . wooF 19:03, 7 April 2020 (UTC)

The point I'm making is that the lead sentence says "A salad is a dish consisting of mixed pieces of food", which is a US-centric definition according to which pieces of chicken mixed with pieces of bread constitute a salad, while much or most of the world considers salads to be made of vegetables. So, I am asking editors who have reliable sources to change the article to reflect the worldwide view of what a salad is. Silver hr (talk) 18:12, 20 June 2021 (UTC)

Well, I do have a german cookbook fom 18 something, and there are different salads described. Including none-vegetable salads. So, no, it is not USA of the 20th century and we do not consider a salad something vegetable. Here is a picture of an advertising, around 1905 about an "ox mouth salad" https://nuernberginfos.de/nuernberger-spezialitaeten/ochsenmaulsalat/ochsenmaulsalat.php It was very famous then. And I bet, It was famous before 1900, too. 2A02:810D:8800:3E31:3C77:7FCB:C715:8A61 (talk) 19:57, 14 September 2022 (UTC)

Following the link you can find an ox mouth salad recipe from 1726: https://nuernberginfos.de/nuernberger-spezialitaeten/ochsenmaulsalat.php. That is way before the 20th century. I belive, the irritational though, a salad is something which is possible only of vegetables is an uneducated guess starting the very late 20th century. 2A02:810D:8800:3E31:3C77:7FCB:C715:8A61 (talk) 20:21, 14 September 2022 (UTC)

One raw ingredient?

Does anyone have a source for the claim that raw ingredients are a requirement in a salad? Duckduckgoop (talk) 04:52, 9 October 2022 (UTC)

If there is one, some salads should be removed from this page. 69.196.162.154 (talk) 23:50, 21 January 2023 (UTC)

There's also the complicating issue of just what is 'raw', for example some salads have ingredients which are just tossed in hot oil to make them warm, rather than being properly cooked. Sbishop (talk) 08:31, 22 January 2023 (UTC) OKAY? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2601:200:4401:21C0:D934:64C1:7E42:12CA (talk) 01:04, 14 January 2025 (UTC)

Pungent?

In the lead paragraph is this: “Condiments called salad dressings, which exist in a variety of flavors (generally pungent), are usually used to make a salad.”

I think “pungent” should be changed to “savory.”

While it is true that salad dressings often contain vinegar, and some people would describe vinegar as being pungent, the meaning of “pungent” is more commonly associated with offensive smells like sewage, decay, or chemicals, than it is with a bottle of ranch dressing. ~2026-14487-75 (talk) 22:54, 6 March 2026 (UTC)

 Done. Savory it is. Thanks. Next time, go ahead and fix it. Zefr (talk) 00:55, 7 March 2026 (UTC)