Acetaria: A Diſcourse of Sallets
S allets in general conſiſt of certain Eſculent Plants and Herbs, improv’d by Culture, Induſtry, and Art of the Gard’ner: Or, as others ſay, they are a Compoſition of Edule Plants and Roots of ſeveral kinds, to be eaten Raw or Green, Blanch’d or Candied: ſimple—and per ſe, or intermingl’d with others according to the Seaſon. The Boil’d, Bak’d, Pickl’d, or otherwiſe diſguis’d, variouſly accommodated by the skilful Cooks, to render them grateful to the more feminine Palat, or Herbs rather for the Pot, &c. challenge not the name of Sallet ſo properly here, tho’ ſometimes mention’d; And therefore,
Thoſe who Criticize not ſo nicely upon the Word, ſeem to diſtinguiſh the 4Olera (which were never eaten Raw) from Acetaria, which were never Boil’d; and ſo they derive the Etymology of Olus, from Olla, the Pot. But others deduce it from Όλος, comprehending the Univerſal Genus of the Vegetable Kingdom; as from Παν Panis; eſteeming that he who had 5Bread and Herbs, was ſufficiently bleſs’d with all a frugal Man cou’d need or deſire: Others again will have it, ab Olendo, i.e. Creſcendo, from its continual growth and ſpringing up: So the younger Scaliger on Varro: But his Father Julius extends it not ſo generally to all Plants, as to all the Eſculents, according to the Text: We call thoſe Olera (ſays 6Theophraſtus) which are commonly eaten, in which ſenſe it may be taken, to include both Boil’d and Raw: Laſt of all, ab Alendo, as having been the Original, and genuine Food of all Mankind from the 7Creation.
A great deal more of this Learned Stuff were to be pick’d up from the Cumini Sectores, and impertinently Curious; whilſt as it concerns the buſineſs in hand, we are by Sallet to underſtand a particular Compoſition of certain Crude and freſh Herbs, such as uſually are, or may ſafely be eaten with ſome Acetous Juice, Oyl, Salt, &c. to give them a grateful Guſt and Vehicle; excluſive of the 8 ψυχραι τραπεζαι, eaten without their due Correctives, which the Learned 9Salmaſius, and, indeed generally, the 10old Phyſicians affirm (and that truly) all Crude and raw λαχανα require to render them wholſome; ſo as probably they were from hence, as 11Pliny thinks, call’d Acetaria: and not (as Hermolaus and ſome others) Acceptaria ab Accipiendo; nor from Accedere, though ſo 12ready at hand, and eaſily dreſs’d; requiring neither Fire, Coſt, or Attendance, to boil, roaſt, and prepare them as did Fleſh, and other Proviſions; from which, and other Prerogatives, they were always in uſe, &c. And hence indeed the more frugal Italians and French, to this Day, gather Ogni Verdura, any thing almoſt that’s Green and Tender, to the very Tops of Nettles; ſo as every Hedge affords a Sallet (not unagreeable) ſeaſon’d with its proper Oxybaphon of Vinegar, Salt, Oyl, &c. which doubtleſs gives it both the Reliſh and Name of Salad, Emſalada 13, as with us of Sallet; from the Sapidity, which renders not Plants and Herbs alone, but Men themſelves, and their Converſations, pleaſant and agreeable: But of this enough, and perhaps too much; leaſt whilſt I write of Salt and Sallet, I appear my ſelf Inſipid: I paſs therefore to the Ingredients, which we will call