Salads Are More Than a Mixture of Cold Foods

Wikipedia defines salads as "a mixture of cold foods." But, the defination of a salad as a mixture of cold foods is already expanded to include a wide range of hot, warm, marinated, and even cooked dishes. The 21st century salad could be described as a mixture of anything hot or cold when served as a salad. In the fast paced consumer culture of today, meals on the go, meals on the run, and meals in a sack have almost replaced the family meal. As such, the traditional 3 course meal of the past has been replaced, in many restaurants and family menu's, by the meal in a salad bowl or on a dinner plate.

Records of salads have been found in ancient Greek and Roman history. As best I can discover leafy greens were considered as vegetables or herbs. They were served with dressings and more often consumed when detoxifying the body from a diet of rich foods.

The early Greeks and Romans were characterized by extremely lavish lifestyles often resulting in the practice of food abuses labeled today as bulimia. The medicinal use of vegetables was considered helpful in correcting the digestion problems from such abuses.

Epicurus, in 307 BC, founded epicureanism. Epicureanism was popularized for establishing a culture based on seeking the highest pleasure through moderation in all areas of life. This philosophy challenged the previous reigning philosophies of platonism, and hedonism. Epicurus founded The Garden, a school of philosophy in Athens dedicated to the belief that the highest good is pleasure. He was thought to have been a vegetarian.

Today's salads reflect today's culture just as they did during the early days of recorded civilization. The salad of today is often a complete meal containing a variety of different food groups and served with a diverse offering of freshly, baked and seasoned breads. One of the most popular salads offered since the early 1950's in restaurants is the Greek salad.

Modern evolved versions include pasta and antipasto salads. Cooked ham, salami, chicken or seafood or other meat choice is often added to the pasta, and greens. Then the traditional Greek dressing tops off the dish.