Salad

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Salad Platter

Salad is a light meal - or part of a larger meal - consisting of mixed vegetables or fruit and at least one type of leaf vegatable, often with a dressing or sauce, occasionally nuts and the possibility of meat/fish/cheese on the side. It is usually seen as being low in calories, salt, sugar and fat, but this isn't necessarily true.

The word "salad" comes from the French salade of the same meaning, from the Latin salata, "salty", from sal, "salt".

In cooking, a sauce is a liquid or sometimes solid food served on or used in preparing other foods. Sauces are not consumed by themselves; they add flavour, moisture, and visual appeal to another dish. Sauce is a French word taken from the Latin salsus, meaning salted. Sauces need a liquid component, but with dishes such as pasta can contain more solid elements than liquid.

Sauces may be prepared sauces, such as soy sauce, which are usually bought, not made, by the cook; or cooked sauces, such as Béchamel sauce, which are generally made just before serving. Sauces for salads are called salad dressing. Another variation is the pan sauce; this is made by adding an aromatic (such as chopped shallot) to a pan that has previously cooked meat, which has left hardened juices (called the fond) in the pan. After the aromatic has softened, a liquid (such as stock, wine, or water) is added to melt the fond in the bottom of the pan, a process called deglazing. An emulsifier, such as butter, can than be added to this quick sauce.

Sauces are an essential element in cuisines all over the world.

[edit] Sauces in French cuisine

Sauces in French cuisine date back to Medieval times. There were hundreds of sauces in the lore. In 'classic' French cooking (19th and 20th century until nouvelle cuisine), sauces were a major defining characteristic of French cuisine.

In the 19th century, the chef Antonin Carême classified sauces into four families, each of which was based on a mother sauce. Carême's four mother sauces were:

In the early 20th century, the chef Auguste Escoffier updated the classification, replacing sauce Allemande with egg-based emulsions (Hollandaise and mayonnaise), and adding tomate. Escoffier's schema is still taught to chefs today:

• Béchamel
• Espagnole
• Hollandaise
• Mayonnaise
• Tomato sauce
• Velouté

[edit] Sauces in other cuisines

Sauces and condiments also play an important role in other cuisines:

• British cooking: Gravy is a traditional sauce used on roast dinner, which (traditionally) comprises roast potatoes, roast meat, boiled vegetables and optional Yorkshire puddings. Apple sauce and mint sauce are also used on meat (pork and lamb respectively). Salad cream is sometimes used on salads. Ketchup and brown sauce are used on more fast-food type dishes. Strong English mustard (as well as French or American mustard) are also used on various foods, as is Worcestershire sauce. Custard is a popular dessert sauce. Some of these sauce traditions have been exported to ex-colonies such as the USA.
• Italian sauces favour tomato-based varieties, or olive oil and garlic.
• Salsas ("sauces" in Spanish) such as guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa verde, and salsa roja are a crucial part of Latino cuisines in the Americas and Europe. Typical ingredients include tomato, onion, and spices; thicker sauces often contain avocado.
• Typical sauces used in Japanese cuisine are usually based on shōyu (soy sauce), miso or dashi. Ponzu, citrus-flavored soy sauce, and yakitori no tare, sweetened rich soy sauce, are examples of shoyu-based sauces. Miso-based sauces include gomamiso, miso with ground sesame, and amamiso, sweetened miso. (Note: in colloquial Japanese, the word "sauce" sometimes refers to Worcestershire sauce introduced in 19th century and largely arranged to Japanese tastes. Tonkatsu and yakisoba are normally served with this sauce.)
• Chinese cuisine is known for prepared sauces based on fermented soy beans (soy sauce, black bean sauce, hoisin sauce) as well as many others such as chili sauces and oyster sauce. One of the more unusual (and popular) Chinese sauces is sweet and sour sauce, which contrasts two fundamental flavors not often found together in most cuisines.
• Korean cuisine uses sauces such as doenjang, gochujang, samjang, and soy sauce.
• Southeast Asian cuisines, such as Thai and Vietnamese cuisine, often use fish sauce, made from fermented fish.

Asian prepared sauces are not thick as they do not contain thickening agents such as flour. The thickening occurs in the last minutes of cooking when thickeners like corn starch are added.

[edit] Sauce variations

There are also many sauces based on tomato (such as tomato ketchup and tomato sauce), other vegetables and various spices. Although the word 'ketchup' by itself usually refers to tomato ketchup, other vegetables or fruits may be used to prepare ketchups.

Sauces can also be sweet, and used either hot or cold to accompany and garnish a dessert.

Another kind of sauce is made from stewed fruit, usually strained to remove skin and fibers and often sweetened. Such sauces, including applesauce and cranberry sauce, are often eaten with specific other foods (apple sauce with pork, ham, or potato pancakes; cranberry sauce with poultry) or served as desserts.

[edit] Examples of Sauces

In the European traditions, sauces are often served in a sauce boat.

White sauces

• Mushroom sauce
• Sauce Allemande
• Sauce Américaine
• Suprême sauce
• Velouté

Brown sauces

• Bordelaise sauce
• Bourguignonne sauce
• Chateaubriand sauce
• Sauce Africaine
• Sauce Robert

Béchamel family

• Béchamel sauce
• Mornay sauce

Emulsified sauces

• Béarnaise sauce
• Hollandaise sauce
• Mayonnaise
  • Tartar sauce
• Salad cream

Butter sauces

• Beurre blanc
• Café de Paris
• Meuniere sauce

Sweet sauces

• Butterscotch sauce
• Chocolate or fudge sauce
• Custard
  • Crème anglaise
• Hard sauce -- not liquid, but called a sauce nonetheless
• Fruit sauces
  • Applesauce
  • Cranberry sauce

Sauces made of chopped fresh ingredients

• Latin American Salsa cruda of various kinds
• Salsa verde

Hot sauces (Chile pepper-tinged sauces)

• Datil Pepper Sauce
• Chili sauce
• Tabasco sauce

East Asian sauces

• Prepared sauces
  • Black bean sauce
  • Duck sauce, or Plum sauce
  • Hoisin sauce
  • Oyster sauce
  • Soy sauce
• Cooked sauces
  • Lobster sauce
  • Sweet and sour sauce
  • Teriyaki - a way of cooking in Japan, a branch of sauces in North America.

Southeast Asian sauces

• Fish sauce
• Sambal

Other sauces

• Barbecue sauce
• Mole
• Tomato sauce
• Tzatziki