Salads and Cold Dishes

Healthy lentil salads are popular all around the Mediterranean. Adas salatasi is a simple one from Turkey that is seasoned with a lemon vinaigrette and garnished with tomatoes, eggs, olives and cheese. Read more »

Curtido is a simple cabbage salad traditionally served with pupusas. Large jars of curtido are kept at restaurants and sides of the slaw are served with most meals. Curtido is usually allowed to ferment slightly at room temperature before serving, becoming a kind of Salvadoran sauerkraut. Cabbage salads are served through Central America. The Nicaraguan version is known as ensalada de repollo or simply repollo. Read more »

Gado gado is a very popular salad in Indonesia and has many regional variations. At its base though, it is a composed salad of cooked and raw vegetables either topped or tossed with a peanut sauce. Gado gado is an excellent addition to a buffet or rijsttafel. Read more »

This namul, or vegetable side dish, is a popular accompaniment to many Korean meals. Hobak is a Korean summer squash that is roundish in shape and has light and dark green stripes. It is very similar to zucchini, which can be substituted. Read more »

Horiatiki salata is your basic big, fat Greek salad. Horiatiki means village-style. This fresh, healthy salad is found in one form or another throughout the eastern Mediterranean. The same salad with the addition of sumac and toasted pita is known as fattoush in the Arab countries. Turks serve ezme salatası a more finely chopped version. Read more »

Two basic types of potato salad are made in Germany. In the north, the potatoes are held together with mayonnaise. In the southern regions of Swabia and Bavaria and in Austria, Kartoffelsalat is mixed with hot broth, oil and vinegar. This recipe is for the southern version, often called "German potato salad" in the U.S. For the mayonnaise version, see this recipe. Read more »

Kvashenaya kapusta provansal is a delicious salad to serve alongside a roast or with sausages. The word "provansal" in the name of the dish is a Russian way of indicating the use of olive oil. Use fresh sauerkraut for this recipe, the kind you find refrigerated in plastic bags. Avoid using canned sauerkraut. The quality just isn't as good. Read more »

Mizeria is a nice cooling salad of cucumbers, dill and sour cream that is very popular in Poland. The name means "misery" in Polish, and legend has it that the dish was first served by poor (miserable?) peasants. Read more »

Panzanella is a classic summer salad from Tuscany and other regions of central Italy. Tuscans are known for the ingenious ways they use up old bread, and this salad is a perfect example. Be sure to use a good quality, crusty bread. Sometimes called panmolle. Read more »

The Turks supply us with a quick, easy and healthy alternative mayonnaise-based potato salads. Patates salatasi makes an excellent addition to a table of Turkish mezze. The paprika gives this salad a beautiful color. Read more »

Serve picado de rábano as a refreshing side salad for Guatemalan meals. Adding chicharrones, or fried pork rinds, turns it into a salad called chojin. Read more »

Potato salad is an American picnic and barbecue favorite. The basic recipe of cooked potatoes bound with mayonnaise and served cold is also found in northern Germany. Potato salad recipes vary greatly, but here is a basic recipe you can build upon. Read more »

Popular throughout Central America, salpicón is a refreshing salad that is great as a topping for tostadas or wrapped in fresh corn tortillas. It is especially easy to make in large quantities for parties and family gatherings. Read more »

Green papaya salad is the most popular salad in Thailand and is commonly sold in street stalls, especially in the North of the country. This refreshingly tart and healthy salad is traditionally made in a mortar (som tam means "sour pounded"), but this recipe uses a more Western-kitchen-friendly method. Often spelled som tum. Called tam mak hoong in Laos. Read more »

Sometimes spelled sukju namul, this simple yet satisfying salad is often on the Korean table as a small vegetable side dish, or namul. Read more »

Sweet coleslaw is a type of cabbage salad, or slaw, that is popular in the Midwestern section of the United States. This recipe comes directly from Chef Brad's father, Dan Harvey, in Macedonia, Iowa. Read more »

An easy, refreshing and healthy salad, tabouli is made of bulgur wheat, finely chopped parsley and scallions dressed simply with lemon juice and olive oil. The dish goes by various spellings including tabbouleh, taboule, taboulleh, tabouleh, and tabboulleh. Read more »

Vinegret is a healthy, tasty Russian salad that goes well with some herring, black bread and, of course, ice-cold vodka. Because this salad was developed during Soviet times, when fresh vegetables were at a premium, vinegret is often made with canned or frozen vegetables. Read more »

Serve spicy yum pla muk salad as part of a larger Thai meal. Make sure not to overcook the squid or it will become rubbery. Read more »