What is a Salad

Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: vegetable salads; salads of pasta,
legumes, eggs, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads.
They may include a mixture of cold and hot, often including raw vegetables or fruits.
(http://wiki.verkata.com/en/wiki/Salad).

Salads may be served at any point during a meal. They may be:

 Appetizer salads, light salads to stimulate the appetite as the first course of the meal.

 Side salads, to accompany the entrée as a side dish.

 Entrée salads, served as the main dish, usually containing a portion of protein, such
as chicken breast or slices of beef.

 Palate-cleansing salads, to settle the stomach after the main course.

 Dessert salads, sweet versions usually containing gelatin or whipped cream.

Etymology

The word "salad" comes from the French salade of the same meaning, from the Latin
salata (salty), from sal (salt). (Other salt-related words include sauce, salsa, sausage, and salary).
In English, the word first appears as "salad" or "sallet" in the 14th century.
(http://wiki.verkata.com/en/wiki/Salad).

Fruit Salad

Fruit salad (also called Macedonia) is a dish consisting of various kinds of fruit, served
either in their own juices or syrup. In different forms fruit salad can be served as an appetizer, a
side-salad, or a dessert. A fruit salad is an extremely nutritious dish that provides many vitamins
and minerals needed by the body. It is a wonderfully refreshing dish that provides instant energy.
When served as an appetizer or as a dessert, a fruit salad is also known as a fruit cocktail. It is
also studied that fruit salad is a very good source of vitamin C.

History

The origin of the fruit salad dates back to the 19th century, when it was included in many
menus from different countries. A fruit salad is a dish comprised of a variety of fruits served with
a base sauce or in their own syrup. A fruit salad is usually served as a dessert. It is also served as
an appetizer called a fruit cocktail. When served as a fruit cocktail it is often prepared in an
alcohol and sugar base.

There has been culinary evidence that confirms the saying that sometimes, fruits salads
are purposely mixed with sugar and alcohol, thus, given the term "fruit cocktail". The non-
alcoholic variation of this recipe, also the jellied fruit salad, was famous in the 1920s. In the
period of the World War II, fruit salads were introduced to the world as a proper supplement of
Vitamin C, and were, in fact, included in the American diet.

Variation

The fruits that form parts of a fruit salad vary from country to country. It is determined by
the seasonal availability of the fruits and where they are grown. They also depend on the socio-
cultural attitudes of the people toward the ingredients, whether the fruits were socially
considered to be healthy or not. Fruit salads often include apples, pineapples, pears, cherries,
grapes, kiwifruit, peaches and oranges.

The fruit salad has many variations as per the taste preferred in that particular country:

Northern Europe (Waldorf-style) - served with a mayonnaise base

Malaysia and Indonesia – prefers fruit salads to have a spicier flavor

*Rojak, a Malaysian fruit salad, uses a spicy sauce with peanuts and shrimp paste

India – with ice cream

Philippines - fruit salads are usually made with buko, or young coconut, and condensed milk in
addition to other canned or fresh fruit.

Other variations are served with yogurt or a sour cream base.

Variation of fruit salad in the Philippines and how it is prepared

 Fruit salad recipe is a very simple and easy to prepare. All you need to do is to prepare
the fruits of your own choice. Please select the freshest fruits in the market so that you
will be able to have the best and healthy salad in town.
 Buko is a Filipino word for young or green coconut, and it is one of the main ingredients
of Filipino sweets and deserts. The recipe uses shredded coconut meat, and chewy
 translucent coconut cubes known as nata de coco, along with other ingredients. The result
is a very tasty treat that is easy to prepare

There are lots of variations of fruit salad in the Philippines, actually it does not vary per region, it
only varies in the availability of fruits and the preference of people. Some like their salads to
have papaya while others don’t. Other common ingredients are apples, mangoes, raisins, peanuts,
nata de coco, pears, peach, etc. Also, some like it to have mayonnaise for the sauce while others
preferred condensed milk.

Sources:

(http://wiki.verkata.com/en/wiki/Salad).

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_culture_does_fruit_salad_originate_from#ixzz16MaLhsyf

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Richard_Romando

Compiled by:

Kathleen Mae Linang