corn salad
noun
called also lamb's lettuce, mâche
Did you know?
Corn salad came by way of its name from its occurrence as a weed in grain fields: it's the salad green found growing among rows of corn. The plant is native to southern Europe but is widely found in both Europe and North America. Corn salad isn't a particularly refined name for a salad green, but the plant has other names that broaden its appeal. It's been called lamb's lettuce about as long as it's been called corn salad-that is, since the late 1500s-and in the late 1600s English speakers applied a tried-and-true technique for building a food's cachet: they started using its French name. That mâche on the fancy restaurant's menu? It's corn salad with a Continental nom de plume. Bon appétit.
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Cite this Entry
“Corn salad.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corn%20salad. Accessed 26 Nov. 2024.
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