Salad salad (a noodle-based salad). The sauce used to flavor a salad is commonly called a salad dressing; most salad dressings are based on either a mixture of oil and vinegar or a fermented milk product like kefir. Salads may be served at any point during a meal: The word "salad" comes from the French "salade" of the same meaning, from the Latin "salata" (salty), from "sal" (salt). In English, the word first appears as "salad" or "sallet" in the 14th century. Salt is associated with salad because vegetables were seasoned with brine or salty oil-and-vinegar dressings during Roman times. The
Salad cucumbers) are botanical fruits but culinary vegetables. Dessert salads rarely include leafy greens and are often sweet. Common variants are made with gelatin or whipped cream; e.g. jello salad, pistachio salad, and ambrosia. Other forms of dessert salads include snickers salad, glorified rice, and cookie salad popular in parts of the Midwestern United States. Sauces for salads are often called "dressings". The concept of salad dressing varies across cultures. In Western culture, there are two basic types of salad dressing: In North America, mayonnaise-based ranch dressing is most popular, with vinaigrettes and Caesar-style dressing following close behind. Traditional dressings in