Have you ever found yourself wondering what a salad actually is? I started wondering what constituted as a salad; Is it just a bed of greens that you add toppings to? What about the pretty plant-based food bowls I make; Are those salads? How many types of salads are there? What types of salads are served during a dinner party or a five-course meal and when do they get served? I suddenly had a lot of questions about salads and I figured that if I was asking these things, you might be, too. Let’s start with The 5 Salad Types Served Throughout The Course Of A Meal.
The five salad types served throughout the course of a meal are The Starter, The Accompaniment, The Main Course, The Intermezzo and the always lovely, Dessert Salad. The term “salad” can mean a variety of dishes: green salads; vegetable salads; salads that use pasta, legumes, or grains as a base and even mixed salads that use meat, poultry and seafood. Oh! There are also fruit salads.
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The 5 Salad Types Served Throughout The Course Of A Meal
Because there are many questions regarding what a salad is and when to serve it during a dinner party, I thought we would tackle one question at a time. Today we are talking about The 5 Salad Types Served Throughout The Course Of A Meal. A lot of people, myself included, are planning smaller, more intimate gatherings at home post-pandemic, but still want to do something special, like plan a five-course meal. Salads are such an easy way to make your dinner party stand out and they will be a hit with your guests! Number four might just be my NEW favorite.
The Starter Salad
The Starter Salad is first in the lineup when it comes to serving basic greens during the course of a meal. These salads are typically smaller in size and comprised of a bed of fresh, deep green lettuces of any variety. The Starter Salad is topped with raw, easy to digest vegetables like radish, cucumber, tomato, mushroom and even olives. Think simplistic when it comes to this type of salad.
Here’s a tip – keep the dressing light (this is one of my favorite dressing‘s right now)! Don’t fill your dinner guests up, too quickly!
“Strawberry and bleu cheese pair well together. Bleu cheese is the perfect spicy, tangy, yet mild flavor to add with any sweet fruit. When bleu cheese is mixed together with leafy greens, fresh summer strawberries and a red wine vinaigrette dressing, a single bite will make your tastebuds dance! This simple, light, 215 calorie salad is delicious!”
The Accompaniment Salad
Perhaps the most widely-known of salad types, the accompaniment salad is the one that comes with a main dish during a meal. This salad compliments whatever is being served. They are usually pretty small in size, as they are meant to be in addition to and help draw out the flavors of the main dish.
The Accompaniment Salad can be presented as a bed of greens or it could be served and presented as a handful of pan-seared roasted vegetables. Yum!
The Main Course Salad
The Main Course Salad should be bigger in size, compared to the other courses served during a dinner party. Let’s build one together:
- The main course of a meal can be a warm salad. A deep bowl that starts out by adding a hearty whole grain as the base to build upon, is the perfect place to start. Grains like quinoa, millet and brown rice are always great, plant-based options!
- Next, you’ll add tons of fresh vegetables and fruit (like the always delicious avocado). These veggies can be cooked or raw. Fruit can be fresh or dried. You cannot go wrong either way.
- There are many protein sources to choose from. Animal proteins or plant-based proteins like tofu, work well in this type of salad. Hard-boiled eggs are another popular protein ingredient. Steak, chicken, seafood and fish are seen in the main course salad.
- Squash and potato, a variety of seeds, oils and herbs can be used, plentifully. Don’t forget the extra greens, friend! Kale, spinach leaves or arugula taste amazing in a main course salad.
The Intermezzo Salad
I’ll be the first to admit this, but I had NO idea this type of salad existed. After doing a bit of research I was excited to learn that it’s a pretty simple salad with a very important purpose.
An Intermezzo Salad Is Served When During A Meal?
The intermezzo salad is served right before the dessert salad, during a five course meal. Intended to be a palate cleanser after the main course, this small salad refreshes and stimulates the guest’s appetite for the final course!
The intermezzo is usually a tiny, two-bite “salad” and is mostly presented as a wine, a fruit or a liquor sorbet. Once your palate has been reset, you’ll be ready for the final course in a five-course meal; The Dessert Salad.
The Dessert Salad
I immediately think of a gelatin (I use this gelatin) that is served in a small portion size, but is rich and decadent in flavor for a dessert salad. Serving a smaller more decadent dish is almost always the way to go. Using gelatin, plant-based heavy whipping cream, fresh fruit, chocolate and even mayonnaise as ingredients in a dessert salad, are a must. It will be incredibly pleasing to the eye, too.
Trust me, your dinner party guests will LOVE this type of salad.
The 5 Salad Types Served Throughout The Course Of A Meal Highlights
Want more info, but short on time? No problem! Check out this highlight informational video.
Plan The Perfect Dinner Party Using The 5 Salad Types Served Throughout The Course Of A Meal
The 5 Salad Types Served Throughout The Course Of A Meal are all fantastic options when planning your next dinner party. Typically, people will use a starter salad for course one. However, the accompaniment salad is gaining popularity with home-based dinner parties that want to keep their overall five-course meal menu light and flavorful. Others are opting to replace a meat-based main dish with a plant-based main course salad.
Dessert salads are also gaining momentum for at-home intimate dinner parties, as they are easy to make and require very little effort over-all. A gelatin-based dessert salad can also be made ahead of time, which is a dinner party hostesses BEST friend.
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Will You Be Using Any Of The 5 Salad Types Served Throughout The Course Of A Meal To Plan Your Next Dinner Party Menu?
I am excited to plan my first 5 course meal for friends and family in my home later this summer. I will be utilizing all of the five salad types in my meal planning, as I have switched to eating a plant-based diet. I am most intrigued with the intermezzo salad as well as a gelatin and cream based dessert salad.
Wish me luck and leave me a comment down below if you’ve heard of these salad types served throughout the course of a meal. Which of the five types is your favorite? Personally, I’m sticking with the intermezzo as a new favorite. Dreaming up new recipes for that type of salad and the dessert salads will be ridiculously fun, don’t you think?
xo, Bri
