A Guide to Greens for Salads

Mixing a good salad lies in combining textures. For example, the crispness of romaine with the softness of butter lettuce, colors - the red of radicchio and the dark green of watercress, shapes - the round leaves of mache, the tangled leaves of curly endive, flavors - bitterness of endive, pepperiness of arugula, blandness of iceberg, tartness of sorrel. It is generally wise to start with milder greens (butter lettuce, romaine) and accent them with spicy, bitter, and tart greens. However, it is also possible to make a salad of just one green - endive, iceberg, romaine, spinach - with appropriate accents.

Arugula (rocket, roquette, rugula) - thin leaves with peppery flavor, sue sparingly.

Belgian endive (witloof chicory) - white, multileaved heads, mild but bitter.

Butter lettuce (and Bibb, Boston, limestone, buttercrunch) - loose-leaved heads, tender texture, and sweet, buttery flavor.

Curly endive (chicory) - curly leaves ranging from dark green to pale green, prickly and bitter taste, to spice up blander greens.

Escarole (broad-leaved endive) - paler and straighter than curly endive, and less bitter, but bitter nonetheless. Use sparingly.

Iceberg lettuce (crisphead) - tight heads, mild flavor, crisp texture.

Mache (lamb's lettuce, corn salad) - dark green, oval leaves with sweet flavor.

Radicchio (red chicory, Italian red lettuce) - red leaves with white veins, good to add color, bitter in flavor.

Red-leaf lettuce or oak-leaf lettuce - loose-leaf lettuce with ruffled leaves, soft-textured, sweet flavor.

Romaine (Cos) - long, medium to dark green leaves in loose head, crunch, mild but distinctive flavor.

Salad Bowl - loose-leaf, curly, pale-green leaves, soft and delicate in flavor.

Sorrel (dock) - long, dark green leaves with lemony, tart flavor. Good as accent.

Spinach - dark green leaves, coarse texture, distinctive flavor.

Watercress - round, very dark green leaves, with sharp flavor, good to spice up a salad.

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