{{Short description|Mix of young salad greens originating in Provence, France}} {{Distinguish|Mescaline}} {{Infobox food | name = Mesclun | image = Salade mesclun et chèvre chaud sur toasts.jpg | image_size = 250px | caption = | alternate_name = | country = France | region = Provence | creator = | course = | type = Salad | served = | main_ingredient = Chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces, endive, chive | variations = | calories = | other = }}
'''Mesclun''' ({{IPA|fr|mɛsˈklœ̃}}) is a mix of assorted small young salad greens that originated in Provence, France. The traditional mix includes chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive, while the term ''mesclun'' may also refer to a blend<ref name="merriamwebster">{{cite web | url=http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mesclun | title=mesclun | publisher=Merriam-Webster | access-date=17 March 2015}}</ref> that might include some or all of these four and baby spinach, collard greens, Swiss chard (silver beet), mustard greens, dandelion greens, frisée, mizuna, mâche (lamb's lettuce), radicchio, sorrel, or other fresh leaf vegetables.
== Origins == On July 10, 1924, in Paris, Philippe Tiranty and Paul Gordeaux reunited with many friends at the Cochon d'Or (a famous restaurant in La Villette), decided to create the foyer des Amitiés niçoises, and to call it Lou Mesclun. For these comedians and humanists, this expression meant "real living together".<ref>{{Citation |title=Taylor, John Gray, (25 June 1890–24 Nov. 1944), British Vice-Consul, Cannes, 1921; owner of John Taylor and Son, estate agents, Cannes and Nice; administrator of Anglo-American Hospital, Cannes |date=2007-12-01 |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u232511 |work=Who Was Who |publisher=Oxford University Press |doi=10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u232511 |access-date=2022-05-15|url-access=subscription }}</ref>
The term ''mesclun'' for a mixture of young salad greens is quite recent, first used in 1976 according to Merriam-Webster.<ref name="merriamwebster" /> Of Provençal dialect origin, it derives from the verb ''mesclar'', to "mix thoroughly" and literally means "mixture".<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mesclun | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130116045757/http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/english/mesclun | url-status=dead | archive-date=January 16, 2013 | title=mesclun | publisher=Oxford Dictionaries (Oxford University Press) | access-date=22 March 2015}}</ref> According to local lore, ''mesclun'' originated with the farmers around Nice, who would each bring their own unique and prized mix of baby greens to the farmers' markets. One of the most representative and authentic versions combined baby dandelion, lettuce and rocket (arugula).<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.gibbs-smith.com/Cuisine-Nicoise-P1418.aspx | title=Cuisine Nicoise: Sun-kissed Cooking from the French Riviera | publisher=Gibbs Smith | author=Davis, Hillary | year=2013 | pages=79 | isbn=978-1-4236-3294-8}}</ref>
Noted chef Alice Waters comments, "Outdoor markets in Provence display ''mesclun'' in profusion, a ''melange'' of the first tender young leaves which appear in the garden. ''Mesclun ''can be an extraordinary lettuce mixture: rocket, much like the rugola (arugula) found in Italian markets, chervil, mâche or lamb's lettuce and oakleaf lettuce. On occasion, baby curly endive (chicory) or young dandelion greens find their way into the medley, depending solely upon the grower's personal preferences combined with the reality of whatever else might send up shoots in the spot where ''mesclun'' grows."<ref>{{cite book | url=https://archive.org/details/chezpanissemenuc00alic | title=Chez Panisse Menu Cookbook | publisher=Random House | author=Waters, Alice | year=1995 | isbn=9780679758181 | url-access=registration }}</ref>
== Spring mix == In the North American foodservice industry, the first appearance of ''mesclun'' traces to restaurants and farm stands in the early 1980s, with a rise in popularity since.{{citation needed|date=February 2022}} A ''mesclun'' mix can be described as comprising baby leaves of lettuces and other greens (and often herbs) in a wide range of leaf shapes, colors, textures and tastes. While the overwhelming amount of ''mesclun'' sold approximates the traditional blend of chervil, arugula, leafy lettuces and endive, depending on the season, anywhere from a dozen to three dozen different varieties of baby greens, including red and green oak leaves, romaine and lollo rossa lettuces, frisée, tatsoi, bok choy (joi choi), arugula, spinach, orach, mizuna, dandelion, mustard greens and garden cress may compose what is commercially referred to as a "spring mix". When available, locally grown, direct-from-the-farmer sourcing is recommended over commercial bulk packs for best flavor and freshness.<ref>{{cite book | url=http://www.cengage.com/search/productOverview.do?N=16&Ntk=P_EPI&Ntt=19116650412653624493238680381015511071&Ntx=mode%2Bmatchallpartial | title=Kitchen Pro Series: Guide to Produce Identification, Fabrication and Utilization | publisher=Culinary Institute of America (Delmar/Cengage Learning) | author=Brad Matthews | author2=Paul Wigsten | year=2011 | pages=25 | isbn=9781435401211}}</ref>
==See also== * List of salads
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Salads}} {{French cuisine}}
Category:Salads Category:Cuisine of Provence Category:French cuisine