The origin of the word “salad” is the Latin herba salata, or “salted greens.” Its adoption is believed to have grown out of the ancient Roman habit of dipping romaine lettuce in salt.
The Romans quickly changed the tradition of just salting greens by dressing them with vinaigrettes, which they created out of simple combinations of olive oil, vinegar and salt.
Several varieties of lettuces and greens were a staple of the ancient Egyptians, Romans and Greeks.
At the end of the 14th Century, cooks for King Richard II made salads with an array of greens–parsley, sage, borage, mint, watercress, fennel and purslane–tossed with garlic, chives, onions and leeks in a vinaigrette.
