from
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
It is a sad day in France when a salade
vert, a green salad, is just two types of wilted lettuces, with a few overgrown
roquet (rocket/arugula) leaves thrown on a plate and served. A marked-down salade vert does happen, even if
it is on rare occasions. But a Salade Mesclun, also called a Salade de Mesclun
or just Mesclun, a particular French mixed salad and part of France’s heritage
correctly made brings a smile to all lovers of French cuisine.
From the north to the South of France,
and from talking to many educated diners and chefs, there is a clear
format for preparing a Salade Mesclun.
Every good chef stated categorically that a Salade Mesclun
must include at least five different salad greens with six being even better.
The ingredients are carefully chosen to bring together taste, texture, color,
and arrangement.
At its simplest, a Salade Mesclun includes
two types of lettuce often Romaine (Cos lettuce) with its herb-tinged flavor along with the leaves taken from the heart and iceberg lettuce (bright and crunchy). Then comes Mache, lamb's
lettuce (sweet and nutty), escarole (crispy and sharp), Roquet, rocket/arugula
(spicy); and lightly cooked Haricot Vert, baby green beans (sweet). All are served
with a well-made vinaigrette sauce. Their combined colors, tastes, and textures
are a Salade Mesclun and show a concerned chef in the kitchen.
Salad Mesclun
with added tomatoes and figs.
Describing a Salade Mesclun as a mixed
salad in the usual North American or UK construct is an insult. A salade
mesclun correctly prepared it is a gem from the book of French cuisine,
balanced and carefully constructed, not thrown together,
The ingredients will change with the
seasons, so Salade Mesclun may
include Pissenlit, dandelion leaves (spicy); Treviso Radicchio, radicchio
(bitter and a flash of color); Endive, the Belgian Endive (crunch); Chicorée Frisée, the curly endive; and Red or
Green Feuille de Chêne, oak leaf lettuce. These and other leaves are added from
France’s endless choice of baby vegetable shoots and herbs.
Don’t be surprised if a few tasty grapes,
bean sprouts, roasted seeds, slices of red onion or similar are added. Your Salade Mesclun, remember, is all about taste and texture, and
some chefs may get carried away, but they can taste great.
Mesclun just means mixed in the Provencal language of southern France, but a A small Salade Mesclun may be an entree,
but it more usually accompanies the main dish, often as part of a light lunch.
Salade Mesclun on your menu at a light
lunch:
Assiette de Jambon San Daniele et Salade de Mesclun – A plate of San
Daniele cured ham and a Salad Mesclun. Jambon de San Daniele is, despite
being an Italian cured ham very much appreciated in France. This ham uses sea salt for the salting process
and is cured for a minimum of 13 months. The unique taste of this ham is
claimed, by the producers, to be the result of the microclimate where the ham
is aged. The small town of San Daniele del Friuli is 80 km (50 miles) from
Venice.
Croque-Monsieur XXL, Mesclun – An extra, extra-large Croque Monsieur
accompanied by a Salad Mesclun. Croque Monsieur is a simple but tasty French
fast food. It is a toasted sandwich made with Pain de Mie, French sandwich bread, cooked ham, and Gruyere
cheese. The sandwich is soaked in beaten egg and then fried gently or
toasted until the outside is golden brown and the cheese melts. This XXL
size will probably be a triple-decker.
Assiette de Saumon
Fumé et Salade Mesclun Câpres – A plate of smoked
salmon and a Salad Mesclun with capers.
Tartare
de Bœuf, Servi Avec Toasts, Mesclun Salade – A Steak
Tatar accompanied by toast and served with a Salade Mesclun.
Terrine
de Lapin
au Muscat
sur Son Lit de Salade Mesclun – A rabbit
pate
flavored with a Muscat
wine served on a bed of Salad Mesclun.
Smoked salmon
and strawberries with Salade Mesclun
Salade de Chêvre Chaud Sur Mesclun – Warm goat’s cheese served on a Salad Mesclun.
Salade de Mesclun, Tomates,
Saumon
Fumé, Crabe,
Crevettes
– Salad Mesclun
served with tomatoes,
smoked
salmon, crab
meat and shrimp.
The ingredients of a
Salade Mesclun
Roquet - Arugula or Rocket
Roquet - Arugula or Rocket.
Roquet has dark green leaves and a
peppery flavor along with an aroma that varies from nutty to oily depending
on the particular strain. The leaves vary in shape with the long and spiked
leaves being the sharpest. If you prefer just a slight peppery taste, choose
the smaller leaves when buying for your home.
Wild arugula/rocket plants are the most pungent of all the strains and so
chefs who work with ramasseurs, gatherers, (who bring them wild herbs and
mushrooms) only buy the youngest shoots.
Roquet – arugula/rocket in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Dutch - taket, taketkruid, tucolakers, tucola), (German - salatrauke, rauke, rucola), (Italian - rucola, ruchetta ), (Spanish - rúcula, oruga, jaramago, arrúgula, roqueta)
Endive, Endive Blanc - Belgian Endive,
Witlof or Whiteleaf.
Called chicons in Belgium).
Endive – Belgian Endive
Endive, the Belgian endive is shaped like
a torpedo and is harvested when it is about 15cm (6") in length. It has
tender, crunchy white leaves that grow with yellow edges. Endive leaves are
mostly white with yellow to slightly light-green tips and are firm and crunchy;
they are nutty and slightly bitter. On their own, the leaves are often used to
display other dishes such as a seafood cocktail or a pâté. Endives may also be
cooked and used as a garnish for the main dish, or the menu may offer a soupe à
l'endive, an endive soup.
A Belgian endive with dark green leaves
at its end indicates that it has been on the shelf too long. That's an indication that its flavor will
have begun to change and that enjoyable crunchiness may also have begun to
fade.
If
you are into endives, then you may meet your friends and colleagues every year
in the pretty town on Bethune. Join them at the Fête de l'Endive, the town's
Endive Fete; it is held on the last Sunday of February every year. Bethune is a
lovely small town in the center of an important agricultural area and just 35
km (22 miles) from the city of Lille. It is in the department of Pas-de-Calais
in the region of Hauts-de-France. In 1-1-2016 France changed many of its
administrative regions and the region of Hauts-de-France was made up
of the old regions of Picardie and Nord-Pas de Calais with Lille as the
regional capital.
The Endive –- Belgian Endive in the language of France’s neighbors
(Catalan - xicoira), ( Dutch - wlde cichorei, wegenwachter ),(German - endive, salatzichorie), (Italian - cicoria witloof), (Spanish - endibia, endibia witloof), (Latin - cichorium intybus var.foliosum).
Mâche or Mâche Nantaise - Lamb’s lettuce
or Corn Salad
Mâche - Lamb’s Lettuce.Valeriana locusta var. olitoria,
Early 20th-century drawing.
www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/26830591044/
Mâche is France's tastiest contribution
to a mixed salad. Mâche leaves are nutty, juicy, with just a tinge of spice,
and a texture that goes well with other salad greens. The great taste and
texture that mâche leaves bring to a green salad always make me wonder why it
is so rarely available in the UK or North America.
The name lamb's lettuce comes from the
spoon-shape of the leaves said to resemble a lamb's tongue. The name corn salad
is associated with the plant because it grows like a weed in wheat fields. Lamb's lettuce
grows wild all over Europe as well as North Africa, and North America. While it
has been cultivated in Europe since the 16th century, it was mostly looked down
upon as food for the peasantry until the 19th century.
A
Mache salad in France is also known as Salade de Prêtre, a priest's salad, and
Salade de Chanoine, a canon's salad. Both belong to the Christian tradition of
Lent when traditionally meat was not eaten and so a salad with this salad
green would star. Many other local names are seen in farmer's markets.
Mâche in the languages of France's neighbors:
(Catalan - canonges), (Dutch - veldsla), (German – feldsalat, Rapunzel), (Italian - dolcetta), (Spanish - canónigo), (Switzerland - nüsslisalat or nüssler), (Latin - valerianella locusta var. olitoria).
Haricot Vert – The Fresh Green Bean or
Snap Bean;
Haricot Vert - Green beans.
www.flickr.com/photos/resonant/37277026590/
The fresh Haricot Vert, the French Green
Bean is the most popular of all France's green beans. These particular beans
are sweeter and have a more delicate texture than most other green beans. This
bean is usually the only part of a salade mesclun that will be cooked before being
incorporated in the salad. Despite that caveat, French chefs do make changes,
and another cooked vegetable may sometimes be included.
The Haricot Jaune or Haricot Beurre – The
fresh, yellow bean is a strain of the green bean and it tastes the same to me. This is the only fresh bean that comes close
in popularity to France's haricot vert and it may be included in the Salade Mesclun. The shortest and youngest green and yellow beans are considered the tenderest and
tastiest and as you will see in the market the most expensive.
Haricot Vert – the Fresh Green Bean in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan - fesol or mongeta), (Dutch - gewone boon ), (German – gartenbohne, grüne bohne, schnittbohne), (Italian - fagiolo), (Spanish – judia verde). (Latin - phaseolus vulgaris var. vulgaris). Latin - Haricot commun, variété grimpante).
Chicorée Rouge - Radicchio, Red-Leaved Chicory
Chicorée Rouge - The red-leaved chicory
Radicchio is a family of leafy vegetables
with most hybrids developed in Italy, and they quickly became popular in
France. Despite the variety of radicchios available in Italy, the most
well-known and the most popular is the Chicorée Rouge, the Radicchio or the
Red-Leaved Chicory. This radicchio
family member is nearly round with leaves the color of Burgundy, but with white
ribs. Apart from the white ribs, red chicory looks somewhere between a round
red lettuce or a red cabbage though the taste and texture are very different.
The taste is lightly but pleasantly
bitter, and like the other members of the radicchio family, (outside of a
Salade Mesclun), the red-leaved chicory may also be served grilled or prepared as
part of the main dish.
Chicorée Rouge - The red leaved chicory in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan - radicchio),(Dutch - roodlof, radicchio rosso),(German - radicchio rosso di Chioggia), (Italian - radicchio di Chioggia), (Spanish - achicoria de Chioggia), (Latin - cichorrium intybus var. foliosum).
Scarole, Chicorée
Scarole, Scarole or Batavia - Escarole
or Batavia Endive.
Scarole - Escarole
Chicorée Scarole or Escarole is related
to Chicorée Frisée Frisée. It is a mildly
bitter and leafy green with large and curly, crisp lettuce-like leaves that have a
more noticeable flavor than most types of lettuce. The Inner leaves are paler and have a lighter
taste than the outer leaves. N.B. This is
not the chicory plant used for making a caffeine-free coffee substitute, in
French it is called Chicorée à Café Real and for the coffee substitute it is the roots that are used.
Scarole – Escarole in the languages of France’s neighbors:(catalan - endívia), (Dutch - Andijvie, Escarol), (German - Endivie-Eskariol, Eskariol Endivie, Eskariol, Endivi), (Italian - indivia scarola, Scarola), (Spanish - escarola), (Latin - :cichorium endivia var. latifolium).
Chicorée Frisée or Endive Frisée – The Curly Endive sometimes called Frisée, Curly
Endive, Chicory, Chicory Endive, Curly Chicory. (In the UK, curly endive is often simply called endive which can lead to some confusion with other endives).
Chicorée Frisée - The Curly Endive
www.flickr.com/photos/notahipster/5738349483/
Chicorée Frisée or Endive Frisée is a
member of the endive family and looks like
lettuce with outer green eaves that curl in a lacy texture. In a salad, it adds a
slightly crunchy texture with a slightly bitter taste. The lighter-colored inner
leaves are milder and are considered among the best for salads as they have a crunchy stem,
and add a lot of texture. Curly endives may also be cooked, and maybe on
menu listings as a garnish. Their pale green, white, and yellow coloring is a
result of the producer shielding them from light during the growing process in a similar manner to the Belgian Endive.
Chicorée Frisée or Endive Frisée – The curly endive in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan - escarola. ), German - krausblättrige endivie ), (Italian - Indivia riccia), (Spanish – escarola.) (Latin - cichorium endivia var. crispum).
Sucrine - Bibb, Boston, or Little Gem
Sucrine - Bibb Lettuce.
The Boston Bibb type lettuces are known for
their light nutty and buttery taste, velvety texture, and slight crunch. They
have loose, wavy, cupped light green leaves. Inside the leaves are more tightly
bound, with a yellow tint.
Romaine lettuce
Romaine lettuce
Romaine Lettuce
www.flickr.com/photos/usdagov/48366526987/
Romaine or cos lettuce The romaine is sold as whole heads and the
thick ribs, especially on the older outer leaves, have a milky fluid
that gives the romaine its typically bitter herb taste.
The Romaine or cos lettuce in the languages of France's neighbors:
(Catalan - llarg, romà), (Dutch - bindsla), (German – römersalat, römischer, romana-salat), (Italian - lattuga romana), (Spanish - lechuga romana. lechuga romanita, cos), (lactuca sativa var. longifolia).
Pissenlit –
Dandelion
Pissenlit – Dandelion
www.flickr.com/photos/macleaygrassman/15756686043/
Dandelion greens are the green leaves
from those flowers that pop up, uninvited, in the middle of a green lawn year after year with puffs that kids love to blow as they turn into numerous small florets.
The leaves are earthy, nutty, and, bitter with a sharp flavor much like
radicchio, but more so.
The variety of dandelion green cultivated
for sale at markets and grocery stores is milder than the intensely bitter and
mineral-tasting garden weed. However, those garden weeds are perfectly edible
but spicy,
The old French name for dandelions is Dent de
Lion, the lion’s tooth. The dandelion leaf is considered to resemble a lion’s
tooth, and thanks to William the Conqueror the old French name Dent de Lion
became the English name dandelion. William the conqueror and the cooks of his
Norman Barons are responsible for half the names in the English kitchen.
The name Pissenlit used on most modern
French menus has another translation; pissenlit translates as piss in your bed! (Don't ask me why the French prefer the name piss in the bed over lions' teeth)? That French name refers to the folk story that warned against eating dandelions
and that story probably also came to England with the Normans. We, as children
in England, were warned that if we ate dandelion leaves, we would wet the bed; however, that is not true! Neverthless, the roots of the dandelion, which are not usually
used in cooking, are a diuretic. The roots are part of French homeopathic
medicine where they are used as a diuretic and that is the probable source of this old-wives tale that mistakenly relates to the leaves.
Pissenlit – Dandelion leaves in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(Catalan - xicoia ), (Dutch - paardenbloem ),(German – löwenzahn, bettnässer, hundeblume) (Italian - dente di leone),( Spanish - diente de león),( (Latin – taraxacum officinale).
Feuilles de Chêne, - Oak Leaf Lettuce.
Feuilles de Chêne, - Oak Leaf Lettuce.
Photograph courtesy of
Forest and Kim Starr
Feuilles de Chêne - Oak Leaf Lettuce leaves are
similar to that of the oak tree, hence, its name. This is a tender lettuce with more taste
than most other lettuces. To be enjoyed it really needs to be very fresh and if
you are buying it for home make sure it has a strong color as well as being crisp and firm. When you see
wilted oak leaf leaves in your Salad Mesclun then you know it has been prepared
to long in advance, send it back.
As with Batavia lettuce, there are
several varieties of oak leaf lettuce—green, red, bronze—but they are all
loose-leaf lettuces, meaning the leaves stay loose and do not have compact
heads like an iceberg lettuce
Oak Leaf lettuce in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(German - eichblatt ), (Italian - lattuga aalanova ), (Spanish - hoja de roble ), (Latin Lactuca sativa var. crispa 'F).
Laitue Iceberg - Iceberg
Lettuce
Iceberg Lettuce
Photograph courtesy of Pin Interest
Laitue Iceberg - Originally called Crisphead this lettuce became known as Iceberg lettuce when it was brought in from California covered in crushed ice. Iceberg lettuce is in your Salade Mesclun for the crunch; its flavor is too mild to notice.
Iceberg Lettuce in the languages of France’s neighbors:
(German – krachsalat ), (Italian - latuca iceberg), (Spanish – lechuga de repollo ). (Latin - lactuca sativa var. capitata)
------------------------------------------
Behind the French Menu
by
Bryan G. Newman
Copyright 2010, 2019, 2023.
behindthefrenchmenu@gmail.com
--------------------------------
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