Salads – the one section of the menu in a restaurant that is oft looked over. Not anymore! There is a lot of focus on healthy living and healthy life style choices now. People are watchful of what they eat. Yes, the look of a dish is important even now. But, it is not a factor that eliminates anything. Salads, thankfully, look good to the eye and feel great on the tummy.
To the best of my information salads are a gift of the continental food to the world. Continental food itself is a culmination of so many different geographical influences that it is difficult to pin point the origins of salads. However, the flavors, freshness and freakishly good side of salads make it a popular section of food for health conscious folks.
Did you know that there are broadly four different categories of salads?
These categories are such that one can have a full course meal only based on salads. Well, that’s what I mean by variety of salads. Thanks to food tech ordering salads online is not difficult too.
So, the four different categories of salads are – appetizers, sides, main course and desserts. This is convenient to understand vis a vis regular food.
Appetizer Salads
Appetizer salads are just that. They kindle the appetite of a person to get more food into the system. In a way these salads prepare the stomach for the food that is yet to come. They help in secretion of essential enzymes that will help assimilate and digest the carbohydrates that come in the form of other dishes. More often than not, appetizer salads are diced vegetables, with minimal dressing and hardly any use of fatty creams. The quintessential salad with cut portions of carrots, cucumbers, onion and tomato sprinkled with salt and pepper is a good example of an appetizer salad.
Side Salads
Side salads are the accompaniments that are served along main course dishes. Ideally these salads enhance the experience of eating the main course. They are a power house of vitamins, fibre and other nutritional elements that support the main dish. These salads are great for folks looking at controlling weight gain through healthy eating life styles. These salads have a heavy portion of greens and micro greens that provide an endless supply of anti oxidants to the system. An occasional scoop of seasonal fruits and a dressing of olive oil make these salads interesting.
Main course salads
The main course salads are a different take on the general understanding of salads. They are not lean and basic. They are packed with protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, essential nutrients, fibre along with taste, look and sumptuousness. Each of the main course salad dishes is a full meal in itself. The key ingredients in main course salads generally are a heavy portion of vegetables, a small portion of diary or carbohydrates like cottage cheese, steak, and chicken along with grains like quinoa, barley, black rice, pasta and a generous portion of water based dressings.
Dessert salads
Dessert salads are according to me a revolutionary concept of salads. Desserts generally are associated with fat, cream and calories, whereas salads are the total opposite of this concept. Dessert salads are a healthy mix of ingredients like seasonal fruits, sour cream, caramelized nuts and fruits. Honestly there is no end to the possibilities of a dessert salad. The only guideline is to stay away from high calorie ingredients.
