Salads are generally present on Chilean tables throughout the country. The consumption of the lettuce and tomato salad It is very common due to its easy preparation, since the tomato and lettuce do not require cooking to consume them. Lemon juice and a generally neutral oil are used as a dressing. It is excellent when the tomatoes are salted a little before joining the lettuce.
Lettuce and tomato salads they do not constitute a complete meal. Therefore, it should be accompanied with meals that contain proteins and other nutrients, which are not present in lettuce or tomato and which are essential for the proper functioning of the body.
There are many variants of this salad that are born as a result of adding other vegetables or ingredients to the salad according to the taste of the diners. Other times they are made only with onion and tomato, whose colors represent very well the colors of the Chilean flag.
History of lettuce and tomato salad
Some sources claim that the word salad It comes from the term "herba salata" used by the Romans to refer to a mixture of raw vegetables with salt and water. The Romans also used "insalare" which meant adding salt. The salad was originally consumed by the working class, then its use was generalized in the different social classes.
Chilean gastronomy is made up of culinary traditions that have been passed down from generation to generation and have been enriched by the influence of Spain and other cultures. The different salads commonly have as dressings, oil, vinegar and salt.
Lettuce, one of the ingredients present in almost all salads in the world, is said to be native to India. It was consumed by the Romans and the Greeks more than 2000 years ago. The Arabs in the XNUMXth century already planted them and the wife of Felipe V presented them stuffed at her banquets. In America, lettuce was introduced by the Spanish conquerors.
Moreover, tomato He is originally from Mexico. It was cultivated by the Aztecs, who called it “tomatl” which means “swollen fruit”. There the Spanish conquistadors found it, called it tomato and brought it to other countries in America along with other products. Many confuse the tomato with a vegetable. But actually, it's a fruit.
On the voyages of Christopher Columbus tomato It arrived in Spain and from there it spread throughout the rest of Europe. An Italian herbalist referred to the tomato as the "golden apple." Another Dutchman in 1554 described the tomato attributing aphrodisiac properties and perhaps this information was the reason that contributed to the name given to the tomato in various parts of the world: in Italian "pomodoro", in French "pomme d'amour" and in English “love Apple”.
Lettuce and tomato salad recipe
Ingredients
1 large lettuce
4 tomates
Carrots 3
1 cup with lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Preparation
- All the vegetables are washed very well.
- Then the skin is removed from the carrots and grated, the tomato is sliced and the lettuce is cut into pieces or strips.
- Next, the lettuce, tomatoes and chopped carrot are gathered in a container, and a little lemon juice and 5 drops of oil are added.
- Mix everything very well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Finally, it was time to serve and taste.
- It can be served as a starter or as a side to an excellent barbecue, grilled fish and many other dishes.
Tips for making a delicious lettuce and tomato salad
- Select very well the lettuce that will be used in the preparation of the salad. They must be fresh, have a very good appearance, without spots and their leaves must not be damaged. Prepare the salads that contain it shortly before consuming it. If you have leftover lettuce, keep it in the refrigerator compartment that corresponds to the storage of vegetables. They should not be kept for a long time in water with vinegar or lemon, because they can stop being crunchy and lose part of the minerals they contain.
- Tomatoes must also be selected very well to be able to consume them raw in a salad. They must be fresh.
- You can enrich salads by adding other cooked vegetables and other ingredients such as nuts, which are crunchy and also enhance the nutritional value of salads.
Did you know ….?
Lettuce it is satiating, it is moisturizing due to its high water content, it helps people who have sleep disorders because it has sedative properties. Analgesic properties are also attributed to it, it has a purifying action on the liver, and it reduces blood glucose levels. It contains, although in a small amount, vitamins C and E. It provides a small amount of the minerals iron, phosphorus, calcium and potassium.
Tomato It is composed mainly of carbohydrates and water, its consumption provides the body with vitamins A which prevents vision problems. It also contains vitamin C and potassium. It has a high content of lycopenes that give it high antioxidant power, which helps a lot in the prevention of cardiovascular diseases and cancer. Lycopenes are what give tomatoes their characteristic color, a high level of them in the blood is associated with fewer cases of prostate cancer.
The amount of lycopene is higher if the tomatoes are of the perita type and if they are ripe. Eating tomatoes in the diet is excellent for the body because they also contain iron and vitamin K. Due to its high antioxidant content, it is excellent for the skin, thus being a natural product which prevents aging. It is also a diuretic, thus helping people with fluid retention problems. It contains fiber so it is good to avoid constipation.
If among the people who will eat a salad with tomatoes some have diverticula in their colon, it is important to remove all the seeds from the tomatoes. In this way, later complications that could arise are avoided.
