The secret of French salad 2 | salads from each region | salade parisienne

Maine is famous for the Lobster Roll, Philadelphia has the Philly Cheesesteak and the Roast Pork. You will find the Muffaletta in New Orleans, in Georgia, we can eat the famous Chicken sandwich... so on and on, there are so many specialty sandwiches in different states around the US.

The same way we have a sandwich culture in the US, in France, we have a specialty salad in each region. 

When you travel to France, you will notice that in most bistro, Cafe-Brasseries, there are lots of salad choices. Not only simple salads but some salads named after the regions/cities. 

The secret of French salad. La salade parisienne @Mon amie Shon

Today, I'm going to introduce, out of many others, the 3 most known salads from different parts of France, from Paris, Nice, and Lyon.

1. La salade parisienne: from Paris

You will find this salad in every cafe brasserie in Paris. 

This salad is loved by many French for its rich variety of simple basic ingredients: Greens, tomato, ham, cheese, parisian mushroom, boiled eggs and of course the vinaigrette. 

For the dressing, see my other post: The secret of French salad: La vinaigrette.

The secret of French salad. La salade parisienne @Mon amie Shon

The signature ingredient is the "parisian mushroom" in this salad. The button mushroom or portobello is the other name of les champignons de Paris. They were first cultivated in the capital, Paris and are now grown around the world.

Although people have always eaten wild mushrooms, the turning point for the industry came in the 17th century, as a result of King Louis XIV’s taste for the then rare Champignon de Paris. Farmers in the region strove to please ‘Le Roi-Soleil’ by trying to find ways of cultivating as many of the precious mushrooms as possible. (francetoday.com)

So it is essential to add this Champignon de Paris in this Salade parisienne.

 

The preparation is very simple:

Boil the eggs. Cut all the ingredients in cubes or in small pieces. You don't have to cook the mushrooms.

Then dress as you like on a large bowl/plate. 

Drizzle some nice vinaigrette and ENJOY!

The secret of French salad. La salade parisienne @Mon amie Shon

The secret of French salad. La salade parisienne @Mon amie Shon

The secret of French salad. La salade parisienne @Mon amie Shon

2. La salade niçoise: from Nice

The city of Nice is in the southwest of France, on the Mediterranean seacoast. If you ever have visited this part of France, you would remember the first time you fell in love with the charm of the city... everywhere you go, everything you see and feel, every food you eat is unbelievable!

A city on the southern seacoast reminds me of a sunny and bright weather, fresh tomatoes, basil and olive oil... and of course nice and fresh fish dishes. So as you can guess, the main ingredient in this salade niçoise is fish, especially anchovies and tuna.

The ingredients needed for this salad are: 

greens, tomatoes, radish, onions, red/ yellow peppers, eggs, anchovies, tuna and basil. 

Some restaurants add green beans to this salad but apparently, traditionally this is not one of the main ingredients. 

For the dressing, we use the vinaigrette.

The secret of French salad. La salade niçoise @Mon amie Shon

The same way we dressed the parisian salad, cut the ingredients in cubes or in small pieces.

Slice thinly the radish.

The secret of French salad. La salade niçoise @Mon amie Shon

Cut the red and yellow peppers in thin strips or in cubes.

The secret of French salad. La salade niçoise @Mon amie Shon

Slice the red onions. You can cut then keep the sliced onions in cold water for 5-10 minutes to discard the spicy taste of it. Drain them before using. If you like the spicy taste of raw onion, use it as is.

The secret of French salad. La salade niçoise @Mon amie Shon

Cut the tomatoes in quarters. Add the anchovies and the tuna to the bowl.

The secret of French salad. La salade niçoise @Mon amie Shon

The secret of French salad. La salade niçoise @Mon amie Shon

Add boiled eggs, decorate with some fresh basil.

Drizzle some vinaigrette and Voilà! 

The secret of French salad. La salade niçoise @Mon amie Shon

3. La salade lyonnaise: from Lyon

Lyon is one the largest city in the West of France. It was a former capital of the Gauls at the time of the Roamn Empire. The city of Lyon is famous not only for its history but also for the economy, culture (UNOESCO Heritage sites), education and international relationships. 

On top of all these aspects, the city is referred as the gastronomic capital of France and of the world! We can't ignore the gastronomy tradition of Lyon, especially the two France's best known wine-growing regions: Beaujolais and Côtes du Rhône. 

The salad from this region is very simple and fresh. 

We use some greens with slightly bitter taste as small Frisée, we add lardons or pancetta and a poached egg. The poached egg can be totally substituted with a boiled egg! We also add some croûtons optionally.

Here again, we use the vinaigrette as a dressing but prefer the walnut oil or olive oil (strong taste) to any other mild vegetable oil. 

The secret of French salad. La salade lyonnaise 

The secret of French salad. La salade lyonnaise.

Enjoy these salads with some delicious baguette and a cup of nice wine!

It’s now possible to enjoy at home!

Bon Appétit!