HWN Suggests

The Charms of the Loser Lettuces

FOR many people, the world of lettuce has changed enormously... The standard is no longer head lettuce, but mesclun, or “baby lettuce mix,” or whatever you choose to call the omnipresent pile of variably colored leaves, tissue-thin and textureless. (I’m aware there’s sometimes a bit of radicchio thrown in there for color and flavor, but the amount is insignificant.) Mesclun comes from a Niçoise word for mixture, and when it first came to our collective awareness, it was a random collection of trimmings from the garden, never made the same way twice.

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 Salade Mesclun – A Provencal Mixed Greens Salad

Mesclun is the Provencal word for ‘mixture,’ and this salad is composed of a mixture of tender shoots. The traditional mix includes chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive, while the term mesclun may also refer to a mix of many different fresh, available baby salad greens that might include: lettuces, baby spinach, arugula, Swiss chard, mustard greens, endives, dandelions or other leaf vegetables. A traditional mesclun salad has at least seven varieties of greens.

Articles of Interest

What is mesclun salad?

Today mesclun can be found in specialty produce markets and in some supermarkets. Generic spring mix is a close approximation. Not to be confused with similar sounding mescaline, the psychedelic methoxylated amphetamine from the button or bud of the Peyote cactus (Lophophora Williamsii).

A Nutritional Psychiatrist Says This Underrated Green Is a Natural Mood Booster

What you may not know yet is that mesclun—a mix of greens traditionally including arugula, chervil leafy lettuces, and endive—has a stellar reputation for boosting your mood, according to nutritional psychiatrist Drew Ramsey, MD.

Cooking 101: What Is Mesclun? Learn About the Characteristics of Mesclun and Alice Waters’s Mesclun Salad Recipe

Mesclun is a Provençal word that describes a mix of tender salad greens and herbs. It derives from the French word “mesclar,” which means “mixture.” Traditionally, a mesclun blend includes arugula, chervil, oak leaf, and mâche. It can also be made of a combination of different greens including dandelion greens, frisée, endive, baby spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, radicchio, kale, and more. Mesclun mix can be store bought under the moniker “spring mix.”

Mesclun to arugula, leafy greens good for eye protection, bone health

Mesclun includes a mix of tender baby greens. The traditional mix includes chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive. Mixes may also include greens such as mustards, cresses and parsley as well as wild greens and all kinds of lettuce. The flavors in this colorful mix range from bitter to sweet to tangy and combine both crunchy and silky textures.

Mesclun? By Any Name, Let Us Plant

Is it mesclun or lettuce? Actually, they're the same. Mesclun is just baby lettuce, but it can also include baby greens of any type, including mustard, turnips, kale, arugula and a host of others. Mesclun has become a hot item in gardening and is expensive in the grocery store. But it's nothing more that a mixture of greens -- any mix you want. The story goes that someone dropped seed, then swept them up and planted them, and mesclun was born.

Old Lettuce Masquerades As Mesclun

THE dumbing down of mesclun is just about complete. What was once an incredibly delicious mixture of baby lettuces and wild greens -- dense and feathery, bitter and sweet, peppery and buttery -- has in most places become a bland, almost tasteless mixture of cut-up greens. Mesclun is now big business, which means that the once pricey mix has become cheaper and much more widely available.

Origins of Mesclun

Mixed greens are the harbinger of spring and a spring tonic for good health.

The Care And Harvest Of Mesclun

All the mesclun mixtures are particularly appealing in summer salads. And the best part, as far as the gardener is concerned, is that the seed companies have done the mixing ahead of time. Instead of buying individual packets of various greens, planting a few of each and hoping for the best, the gardener can purchase pre-mixed packets of mesclun seed.

What Is Mesclun Salad Mix (& Is It The Same As Spring Mix)?

For a lighter salad that features subtle flavors, mesclun greens — which are also sold under the name mesclun mix or spring mix — are a good choice. The name mesclun is a modified form of the French word mesclar meaning "mixture." As one might surmise, it is a combination of various young, leafy greens, most commonly arugula, chervil, oak, and mâche, though numerous other greens, from dandelion to mustard, can be included.

What Is Mesclun?

Translated from the Portuguese verb mesclar, the word mesclun means to mix thoroughly. In this case it refers to tender leafy greens and can include arugula, endive, chervil, young red and green lettuces, baby spinach, mustard greens, frisée, mizuna, young Swiss chard, radicchio and sorrel. Young collard greens, tatsoi, dandelion greens, and garden cress may also be used. Mesclun is simply a mix of four different types of these kinds of greens.