In our country, few people associate the word “salad” with a pair of green leaves on a plate, sprinkled with olive oil. “The frivolity of this food is so ridiculous that in the Russian language such a concept of salad does not exist,” famous emigrant writers Pyotr Weil and Alexander Genis wittily noted in their book “Russian Cuisine in Exile.” But even avid Olivier lovers in spring and summer will not be able to resist healthy greens. We suggest you experiment with different types leaf and head lettuce.

Salad has been on the human menu since ancient times and was used by the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks and Chinese. The benefits of lettuce leaves are obvious: they contain very few calories and are rich in vitamins and microelements. That is why green salad must certainly be present in the diet of people watching their weight and health. And many types of salads are considered aphrodisiacs.

Iceberg lettuce

Iceberg lettuce is a small, firm, round head with pale green, crisp leaves. Rich in folic acid, which regulates metabolism, work nervous system and brain. It also contains almost the daily requirement of vitamin B9, vitamins A and C, and iron.

As it is: This sweetish, but not very flavorful salad can be used as a side dish and added to appetizers and sandwiches.

Frisee salad

Frisée lettuce is easily remembered by its characteristic curly leaves, which are pale green on the outside of the head and yellowish-white on the inside. Frisée is grown in the dark, as a result of which the lettuce produces a substance called intibin, which stimulates digestion and increases appetite. In addition, it contains vitamins A and C, calcium and iron.

As it is: It has a characteristic bitter taste and goes well with arugula, garlic, and thyme. Can be eaten raw or stewed, with shrimp, fish, citrus fruits and cheese.

Romaine lettuce

The leaves of this head of lettuce are dense, large and crisp. Romaine lettuce contains vitamins A and C, calcium and iron, increases hemoglobin levels in the blood, reduces salt deposits and helps regulate water metabolism.

As it is: The most famous recipe with the leaves of this salad is “Caesar”. Spicy yogurt sauces with garlic or herbs go well with romaine lettuce. If you add it to a pureed soup or sauteed vegetable, its taste will change and become similar to asparagus.

Corn salad

Corn lettuce has small, dark green leaves that look like tongues. It contains more iron than other types of lettuce, as well as vitamins A and E. If you eat 200 g of root per day, you can fully satisfy the body's need for vitamin B9, which promotes rapid cell regeneration. The ancient Greeks and Romans believed that this salad was especially beneficial for men.

As it is: Corn lettuce leaves have a delicate texture, a sweetish-nutty flavor and a not immediately noticeable tartness. Pairs well with any product. Olive oil and nut oil dressings only enhance the flavor of the corn. Can be served with fried bacon, croutons, citrus fruits and nuts.

Lollo Rosso salad

Lollo Rosso lettuce has curly green-burgundy leaves. This is the leader among salads in terms of calcium and mineral salts content.

As it is: The intense, slightly bitter, nutty taste of Lollo Rosso salad goes well with other green salads. It is appropriate to submit it to fried meat with sauce.

Oakleaf salad

Oakleaf lettuce leaves resemble oak leaves, hence another name - oak lettuce. Oakleaf grows in small loose heads of red or green color. It cannot be stored in the refrigerator for even a day, so it should only be consumed on the day of purchase. Contains vitamins B1, B2, C, P, PP, E, K, folic acid, mineral salts. Regular consumption of salad helps combat vascular diseases, improves blood composition.

As it is: The subtle nutty taste of this salad should not be drowned out by spicy sauces. Champignons, avocado, smoked salmon, croutons, and chopped almonds go well with oakleaf.

Radicchio salad

Heads of radicchio are usually a rich purple color. Radicchio salad has a beneficial effect on digestion and blood vessels, contains antioxidants that prevent aging of the body and strengthen the immune system.

As it is: Because of its bitter-spicy taste, radicchio is usually added to mixed salads in small quantities. Sauces and dressings based on mayonnaise or dressings with honey or fruit juice help to dull the bitterness. The leaves hold their shape remarkably well, which is why they are sometimes used as original “salad bowls”.

Watercress

In the Russian version it has the unappetizing name “bedbug sowing.” Very similar to field salad, but tastes more piquant. Watercress leaves contain mineral salts, vitamins A and C, carotene, iodine, and iron. Powder from crushed watercress seeds is used as mustard plasters.

As it is: In their raw form, small cress leaves are used for salads and salad mixes, to decorate dishes, and as a seasoning for meat. In addition, this salad is added to various soups and sauces. Watercress goes well with canapés and other miniature appetizers.

As it is: The taste of arugula goes perfectly with other popular Mediterranean products - olive oil and balsamic vinegar, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and Parmesan. It is added to salads, pasta, risotto, and pesto is made with arugula. You can make the perfect side dish by simply heating arugula for a couple of minutes in a frying pan along with garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.

Useful tips

• When choosing a salad, make sure that there are no wormholes, holes or growths on the leaves; all this is evidence of disease.
• If you buy lettuce in plastic boxes rather than pots, check to see if the packaging has small air holes. Otherwise, the salad that has been in the store for several days will smell unpleasant.
• Head lettuces should be stored whole, but leaf lettuces should be sorted, separated, wrapped in a damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator.
• To refresh lettuce leaves after storing them in the refrigerator, place them in the refrigerator for a few minutes. ice water, shake and let dry.
• Use a knife to cut off only unnecessary parts of the salad. The leaves themselves are torn into pieces by hand.
• Dress the salad only before serving, otherwise it will become soggy and wilted.

Photo: Photocuisine/Fotolink, Legion-Media.ru

Mash salad- one of the salad varieties along with watercress, iceberg and chicory (radichio). These types of salads are considered the most common. The plant has dark green leaves that form rosettes (see photo). The aroma of mung bean salad is pleasant and slightly refreshing; the plant tastes very pleasant, with a spicy, nutty flavor.

Mung bean salad is known by other names: vegetable valerian, nut salad, field corn salad. The plant is best consumed fresh, as it does not tolerate heat treatment well.

Growing

You can grow mash salad in your summer cottage along with other vegetables. It is grown from seeds. Sow leaf salad Korn recommend in early spring in beds that are well lit by the sun throughout the day. Valerian does not like drafts and strong wind, so you need to choose a quiet place. You can plant seeds in a chaotic manner or in rows. If necessary, you can speed up the ripening and emergence of seeds by covering the beds with plastic film.

The first shoots will appear within one week with proper care. The harvest can be harvested in 3 weeks, at which time the bean salad is watered once every 2-3 days. It is better to water the plant after sunset, at evening time so as not to burn the greens. After watering, you should loosen the soil a little so that a thick crust does not form on the beds.

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of corn salad allow it to be consumed by people who have weight problems or suffer diabetes mellitus. Mung salad contains a large number of vitamins, flavonoids and minerals. The components that make up the plant improve the absorption of vitamin C and strengthen fragile capillaries.

The vitamin composition of corn salad helps in the prevention of many diseases. Eating just 100 grams of the plant covers daily requirement body in vitamin B9. This vitamin is responsible for regulating metabolic processes and promoting cell regeneration.

The calorie content of corn salad is 23 kilocalories per 100 grams. Low calorie content allows you to add vegetable valerian to your diet. Salad has a good effect on metabolism and increases hemoglobin.

Mung salad is considered a powerful aphrodisiac. The natural aphrodisiac was known many years ago and was recommended for use by women and men. The root has a particularly effective effect on the reproductive health of men.

Eating bean salad is especially useful for people suffering from anemia, because the leaves of the plant contain a lot of iron. Manganese and zinc are important microelements that will help normalize carbohydrate metabolism.

Use in cooking

In cooking, mung bean salad can be used in recipes instead of other types of salad. Korn gained its popularity in the post-war years. At this time, technologies appeared that helped grow lettuce in large quantities.

Mung salad must be consumed fresh for the health of the whole body. Fresh salad should have bright, shiny leaves and a delicate aroma. The fragile leaves of valerian are easily damaged if handled carelessly. In order not to damage the leaves, the plant is washed in running water for just a few seconds. You can store mung salad in the refrigerator, wrapping the plant in a paper napkin. If stored correctly, bean salad will retain its freshness for a maximum of 3-4 days.

Corn lettuce leaves go best with chicory, season vegetable salads Of these products, olive oil is recommended. Olive oil will help highlight the nutty flavor of the bean salad and add healthiness to the dish.

You can add other ingredients to salads with corn. The dish is especially delicious with corn salad and bacon. To do this, you need to fry the bacon slices, add chopped corn, onions, and some nuts. It is better to season the salad with olive oil.

The sweetish taste of valerian will easily be destroyed by the brighter tastes of other salads, so you should be careful when adding other ingredients to dishes with mung salad. It is not recommended to dress salad with corn in advance, otherwise the leaves in it will wither and become soggy. Corn adds volume to the salad and fills you up faster. Due to the large amount of fiber, for the average person, adding 50 grams of corn salad to the dish will be enough.

Chefs advise not to cut lettuce leaves, but to tear them with your hands: this way the leaves are less damaged and retain more beneficial properties. The leaves of the root are used to decorate sandwiches and snacks before serving. Sometimes citrus fruits, chicken meat, and toasted croutons are added to salads. In dishes with mung salad, you need to know when to stop, because its aroma and taste are best revealed when minimum quantity components.

A popular recipe for preparing a dish with this plant is a salad with corn and citrus fruits. This salad combines the sweetness of tangerine, aromatic corn and pine nuts. Tangerines need to be peeled, the pulp cut out and the juice squeezed out (about 1 tablespoon will be needed). The root leaves must be washed and dried well. Fry the pine nuts a little in a dry frying pan. All ingredients can be mixed. Season the salad with a mixture of lemon and tangerine juice and olive oil. It is better to serve the salad immediately after preparation, sprinkle with nuts and place tangerine slices on top.

Benefits of corn salad and treatment

The benefits of corn salad are explained by its vitamin and mineral composition. It contains vitamins A, E, iron, ascorbic acid, which help the body fight colds.

Thanks to its medicinal properties Ancient Rome vegetable valerian was considered " healing herb" It was used to strengthen the nervous system and reduce bad cholesterol. Roman doctors treated impotence and diseases of the genitourinary system with corn salad.

Mung salad was credited with a diuretic and tonic effect. It was used as a sedative. The wound-healing effect of the root has long been known. Mung bean salad is a record holder for folic acid content. There is even more of this substance in the root leaves than in arugula.

Harm of corn salad and contraindications

Corn salad can cause harm to the body due to individual intolerance. Like any other product, it can cause gastrointestinal problems if not stored correctly. Mash salad has short period of time storage, so it is better to use it immediately after purchase.

Corn salad better known in the food industry as corn salad or rapunzel. This is the most popular and sought after variety of salad. Corn has a mild taste and a pleasant nutty aftertaste that excites the taste buds and gives a special charm to the dish.

general characteristics

Corn lettuce belongs to the Field lettuce (alternative names - Valerianella spikelet / garden) from the genus Valerianella, family Valerianaceae. The plant grows in Europe, northern Africa and temperate regions of Asia. Naturalization of lettuce is carried out in almost all areas of the globe.

This interest in the plant is explained by two factors: ease of cultivation/care and high popularity in the gastronomic industry.

Brief etymological note: the name of the salad is not universal. Almost every language has an alternative version of it. In English - cornsalad, lamb's-lettuc, German - Feldsalat, Rapunzel, Spanish - lechuga de campo, French - mâche, doucette, valérianelle, Portuguese - alface. Interestingly, the German origin of the name is associated with the name of the fairy-tale princess Rapunzel.

Mung bean salad is a medium-sized annual herbaceous plant. The plant can reach from 10 to 40 centimeters in height. The stem is formed unevenly. Its lower part is angular-furrowed, and its upper part is more round and massive. The lower leaves are spatulate and blunt-pointed, the middle ones are oblong-lanceolate, the upper ones are oblong-linear.

Lettuce blooms in June. The plant produces miniature white flowers that gather in thick semi-umbrellas. The calyx limb of the flower is practically not developed, so it is formed in the form of three teeth of an abnormal shape.

Gradually, fruits form from the flowers. They take on a rounded-ovoid shape and reach from 1 to 2.5 millimeters. The fruits are three-locular: two of them are sterile, one is fertile.

Sterile nests are smaller in size than the fertile one, so as not to interfere with the maturation of the fetus. The process of full ripening occurs in May-June. The plant remains viable for 3-4 years.

Features of cultivation

Corn lettuce seeds are most often planted simply in open ground. The land must first be prepared - fertilized, cleared of weeds. The growing season for bean salad is minimal, so planting can be done at any convenient time of the year.

The best yield indicators were noted in middle lane with early spring sowing. The root does not tolerate heat very well - this is the factor that can affect the quality and quantity of the harvest. Planting in early spring minimizes the harmful effects of ultraviolet radiation. Before winter sowing, the soil must be covered with humus or straw.

Vitamin A, flavonoids and iron, which are included in the composition, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and help improve the functionality of the heart. Doctors often recommend increasing the consumption of leafy greens for people with pathologies of the cardiovascular system.

The component has a complex effect on the body and helps not only the heart, but also gastrointestinal tract. Greens speed up metabolism and help the body absorb beneficial vitamins and nutrients better and more efficiently.

Greens facilitate the process of assimilation of foods, so after the next meal you will not feel heaviness and the desire to lie down. Nutritionists advise introducing greens into the diet for the following reasons:

• increasing the serving size due to a healthy and low-calorie component;
• fast saturation;
• cleansing the body of toxins;
• harmonization of fiber levels in the body;
• stabilization of intestinal function;
• natural weight loss.

Vitamin C concentration ( ascorbic acid) in mash salad is as close to lemon as possible. Therefore, for colds, a cup of tea with lemon and a plate of corn salad will be equally effective.

Another useful property of the product is collagen production. Salad stimulates skin renewal, its rapid regeneration and increases the concentration of collagen in the dermis. The skin becomes more well-groomed, nourished and elastic, which makes it easier to care for and significantly improves your mood.

Also, corn salad has a positive effect on the functioning of the visual organs. Vitamin A moisturizes the cornea and protects the eyes from drying out. As a result, the eyes become less tired and the ability to focus improves.

Use in cooking

Korn looks organic both in restaurant haute cuisine and in standard home dishes. The sweet-tart nutty taste, which is hidden in miniature emerald leaves, favorably sets off any gastronomic composition.

It is the versatility of mash salad that attracts consumers. The product can be combined with everything in the world - meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, cheese and even sweets. The French especially loved corn salad - it is most often used as a contrast in complex restaurant dishes.

Ingredients for corn salad

(for 2 servings)

• 75 g of root and chard greens;
• 200 g ham;
• 70 g hard cheese;
• 2 eggs;
• mayonnaise.

The root rosettes are separated from the roots and soaked with chard leaves in cold water and vinegar for 10 minutes. Now the greens will be fresh, as if they came straight from the garden.

Preparing the salad

The ham is cut into thin bars, hard cheese - into small slices and slightly heated in the microwave.

Lettuce leaves are placed in a colander and dried paper towels. Lettuce leaves, ham, cheese, mayonnaise are combined in a common bowl and everything is carefully mixed.

Cook poached eggs. Bring the salted water to a boil and reduce the heat so that bubbles rise from the bottom, but the water does not boil.

The egg is broken into a cup and carefully lowered into the water, using a slotted spoon to check that it does not stick to the bottom. Boil it for exactly 4 minutes, take it out and put it in for a couple of minutes. cold water. The salad is laid out on a plate, an egg is placed on top and the white is cut so that the yolk flows out a little.

There are many recipes for corn salad, with crispy bacon bits, citrus fruits, onions and nuts. In some European cuisines it is served with lingonberry sauce.

To prepare such a delicious and very healthy dish you need to prepare two hundred grams of corn salad, five to six tangerines, five tablespoons of pine nuts, three tablespoons of olive oil, half a teaspoon of lemon juice and some salt and pepper (to taste).

Wash the salad, disassemble and dry. Peel the tangerines, cut out pieces of pulp and set it aside. Squeeze the juice out of the remaining citrus fruits; you will need literally one tablespoon.

Fry the pine nuts a little in a dry frying pan. Mix in a small bowl olive oil with lemon and tangerine juice. Season the mixture with salt and whisk thoroughly to obtain an emulsion.

Place the lettuce leaves in a bowl, pour over the dressing, stir quickly and place on plates. Garnish with tangerine slices and nuts. Serve it to the table immediately.

Spaghetti with corn pesto sauce

To prepare such a dish, you need to prepare four hundred grams of spaghetti, one hundred and thirty grams of corn salad and one hundred grams of pine nuts. In addition, use one hundred and fifty grams of cottage cheese, a couple of cloves of garlic, three tablespoons of olive oil, a little pepper and salt.

Boil the spaghetti al dente. Decant, pour one hundred milliliters of water into a separate container.

Fry the nuts in a dry frying pan until golden. Combine seventy-five grams of cottage cheese with the same amount of pine nuts, two cloves of garlic and eighty grams of lettuce. Pour the spaghetti water into these ingredients and blend them with a blender to obtain a smooth sauce. Pour olive oil into it and stir.

Place the spaghetti on plates, pour over the pesto, and top with the rest of the cottage cheese and nuts. Serve to the table.

Traditional treatment

Corn salad is extremely useful product for men. After all, it perfectly supports potency, improves sexual function and even helps to cope with its dysfunction. By the way, for maintenance and improvement men's health can also be used traditional medicine.

Ivan tea, also known as fireweed, is characterized by remarkable qualities of this kind. Traditional medicine specialists advise taking it as tea. To prepare it, you need to brew a teaspoon of fireweed leaves with a glass of just boiled water. Leave covered for five minutes, then strain. Take this drink twice or thrice a day.

You can also brew a couple of tablespoons of chopped fireweed root with half a liter of boiling water. Place this product over low heat and simmer for twenty minutes. Cool the finished medicine and strain. You should drink one glass immediately before breakfast and about twenty minutes before resting at night.

Also, to improve potency and prevent its disorders, you can take medicine based on calamus root. To prepare it, you need to prepare the dried roots of this plant. Grind them well. Brew a tablespoon of this raw material with a glass of boiling water and leave until it cools. Strain the finished medicine and drink it a quarter glass three times a day, about half an hour before meals.

In addition, you can brew one hundred grams of crushed roots with a liter of high-quality vodka. This medicine should be prepared for two weeks in a fairly dark and at the same time cool place. Strain it and take a tablespoon immediately before meals.

An excellent effect in weakening potency is obtained by taking a medicine based on the herb colza. To prepare it, you need to thoroughly chop the leaves, flowers and stems of this plant. Brew a tablespoon of the prepared mixture with a glass of boiling water.

Leave the mixture covered for three hours, then strain. Take the finished infusion a quarter glass four times a day immediately before meals. The duration of such therapy is one month.

Men should also turn their attention to nettle to maintain and improve potency. Brew a tablespoon of crushed leaves of this plant with one glass of boiling water.

Infuse this medicine for about twenty minutes, then strain. Take a drink of seventy milliliters shortly before your meal.

St. John's wort can be used to prevent and treat sexual impotence. Brew ten grams of fresh or dry crushed herb with a glass of just boiled water and leave for half an hour to infuse. Strain the finished medicine and drink fifty milliliters three times a day, about twenty minutes before meals.

Even ordinary dill can help increase sexual desire and potency. Healers usually recommend using this plant in seed form.

To achieve a noticeable healing effect, you need to mix a glass of dill seeds with two tablespoons of ground valerian root. Pour this mixture into a thermos with two liters of boiling water. Leave for a day, then strain, cool and sweeten with honey. Take a tablespoon half an hour before meals.

Corn salad is an amazingly healthy product that can be grown on your own personal plot without much effort. It can be used to treat and prevent many health disorders, including problems with potency.

When sown in winter, field lettuce behaves like a biennial, and when sown in spring and summer, it is a typical spring annual. Rapunzel comes in two varieties: with dark green leaves and yellow-green leaves (the latter is more expensive). In our country, the Impromt variety has been released, which is grown by direct sowing of seeds and through seedlings.

For spring sowing (in the first half of April), the site is prepared in the fall by applying organic and mineral fertilizers. Sow to a depth of 1 -1.5 cm in lines according to the pattern 20×50 cm (in one line), 32+32×76 cm (in two), 35+35+35×75 cm (in three lines) at the rate of 3- 5 g/sq.m.

Field lettuce shoots appear 8-12 days after sowing. Caring for plants consists of loosening row spacing, weeding and thinning seedlings (8-10 cm are left between plants in a row). Field lettuce is relatively resistant to diseases and pests, although it is affected by powdery mildew.

Rapunzel seedlings are sown from March 25 to April 5 in seed boxes on the balcony or in the soil of a greenhouse. The seeding rate is 4-5 g/sq.m, planting depth is 0.5 cm.

Before emergence, the temperature is maintained at 18-20 degrees, then, until the first leaf opens, it is reduced to 12 degrees. In the two-leaf phase, seedlings dive into the greenhouse soil with a distance between plants of 5 cm and maintain a temperature of 16-18° during the day, and about 10° at night. 7-10 days before planting, the seedlings are hardened off, increasing ventilation and lowering the temperature in the greenhouse.

After 50-70 days from the moment of emergence of seedlings, the rosettes are selectively cut off. Lettuce that has begun to bloom is not suitable for harvesting.

To obtain greenery at the end of summer, seeds are sown from the third decade of July to mid-August (with more later When sowing, nitrates accumulate in the leaves, and the quality of the product deteriorates).

Since the sun is bright at this time, it is important to protect the seedlings from harmful rays. The bed is covered with non-woven material (on arches) or moistened with frequent sprinkling.

Rapunzel care

Thickened rows of rapunzel are thinned out, first leaving 2-3 cm between neighboring plants, then 10-15 cm. The soil in the row is loosened twice at intervals of a week and a half.

After another 10-15 days, the row spacing is loosened. The seedlings are watered every 2-3 days using a watering can with a strainer. The grown lettuce is watered once a week, but so that the water does not get on the leaves.

When growing field lettuce as a winter crop, it is sown in the first half of September. The bed is covered with straw, humus or non-woven material, the rows are placed at intervals of 15-20 cm across the bed.

Close up of seeds reverse side with a rake or plank, pressing the seeds well into the soil. They also use a wide-band placement method with row spacing of 25 cm and a seeding rate of 15-30 g/sq.m.

Shoots appear in 3-5 days. They are also loosened, weeded and thinned. In early spring, when the snow melts, the rows are loosened again at intervals of 10 days. The greenery grows quickly and the produce is harvested in early May.

You can speed up the flow of greenery by using film shelters (in early spring) and boxes insulated with straw (in winter in the south of the country). At the same time, lettuce leaves do not lose their quality, but they, as a rule, are not green (bleached). Greenery is also harvested selectively.

The yield of field lettuce is only 0.5-1 t/ha. However, it provides vitamin greens even in winter and is expensive on the market at this time. Therefore, it is profitable to grow it both for yourself and for sale.

Rapunzel goes well with almost all types of green crops, but the best pairing is endive salad with field lettuce. Varianella is a great addition to appetizers. walnuts, beets, apples and sauces with mustard or pumpkin oil. Field lettuce leaves can be chopped and added to minced poultry or served as a side dish for meat, fish dishes, stewed mushrooms, edible chestnuts.

The salad is very tender, so it is advisable to eat it immediately and store it in the refrigerator for no more than three days.

After a grueling winter, our body often suffers from a lack of vitamins. And how our stomach rejoices when the first fresh greens appear in the beds. One of the first garden “gifts” is considered to be corn salad. This plant, unpretentious to changeable spring conditions, is outwardly inconspicuous, with small dark green leaves. But this salad has unique properties.

How and with what to eat corn salad

In dishes, corn (or field salad) goes well with parsley, cilantro, boiled beef, and fried nuts. This salad mixture is seasoned with a sauce made from olive oil, lemon juice and sesame seeds.

This product is added to sweet salads, especially with citrus fruits. Crisp, fresh green leaves with a slightly tart, nutty aftertaste add culinary charm to many everyday dishes. The first spring salads are delicious precisely because of the delicate aroma of the most delicate leaves of this greenery.

Composition and beneficial properties of the root

Eating corn salad is not only tasty, but also healthy. For example, biologically active substances present in the leaves of this plant normalize many metabolic processes in our body.

The content of useful components in this salad is very diverse: vitamins (A, E, B-group), ascorbic acid, flavonoids, microelements (K, Mg, Fe, Zn, Mn, and many others). Flavonoids are very active in the processes of cell and tissue regeneration. Ascorbic acid is the first assistant in increasing the body’s immune barrier, as well as in the fight against stress. It is recommended to use this product for people suffering from iron deficiency anemia.

In case of spring vitamin deficiency, corn salad is simply irreplaceable, as it is unique vitamin complex of natural origin. Regular consumption of field salad helps regulate carbohydrate and fat metabolism in the body. The product is useful for maintaining the normal state of the body as a whole.

Men will also be able to discover many beneficial qualities of this greenery. Even in the times of Ancient Rome, medicinal infusions based on the leaves of corn salad had considerable success in the treatment of male sexual dysfunction and a number of inflammatory ailments of the genitourinary system in men. Manganese and zinc are important in carbohydrate metabolism, so nutritionists advise consuming this product as much as possible if you want to lose weight and prevent obesity.

Healthy lifestyle, proper nutrition and a variety of greens on the table - fashion trend in the last five to ten years. An incredible variety has appeared on store shelves: ice salad, oak salad, corn salad, arugula, garden peppercorns and others. There is no strong taste, they cannot satisfy hunger, they are simply used to decorate plates or add volume to complex salads. Meanwhile, lettuce leaves are a low-calorie product, easy to use and prepare, rich in vitamins and microelements.

There are more than 1,000 types of salads in the world today, and their number is increasing every day. One of the most popular is corn salad. Like many members of the valerian family, field is another name for the plant, like "rapunzel") - an incredibly useful agricultural plant.

Short description

Externally, it is a rather unsightly plant, round in shape with dark green leaves. Mostly it grows in Africa, Asia and some European countries. The plant is annual. Maximum height- forty centimeters.

Culinary experts and scientists place corn salad one step above its garden green relatives. It is believed that it is much healthier and tastier than other salads. French chefs fell in love with the salad for its incredible nutty aroma, softness of the pulp and exquisite range of taste.

Growing

Corn lettuce can be sown at different times due to its short growing season. The seeds are dropped directly into the garden bed. The best harvests are obtained if the plant is planted in early spring. Field lettuce does not readily tolerate hot summers, and in winter it is better to hide it from the cold by covering it with a layer of humus or straw.

Compound

The salad contains a huge amount of biologically active substances. The main ones on the list are the entire group B, vitamins E, A, C, etc. Among the microelements that are found in large quantities in corn salad, we can name: zinc, magnesium, manganese, selenium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, sodium, potassium.

The palm goes to ascorbic acid, of which more than 42 percent is present in the salad. daily norm. The second is considered vitamin A. The next most popular and quantity in the composition is B6.

Calorie content

With its minimal amount, corn is a healthy food product for those who are losing weight or just sticking to healthy image life. One hundred grams of rapunzel salad contains only 23 kcal.

How to choose?

Right choice salad is the key to not only a healthy, but also a tasty dinner. It is important to remember that it is better to buy corn lettuce during the period of vigorous growth, but after the plant has flowered. Summer salads- the most delicious and healthy. The leaves will be fresh, juicy and with a pronounced nutty taste, for which this type of salad is so famous. Best time for purchase - end of May, June.

When purchasing, you should take a good look at the leaves. They must be smooth, intact, without signs of fading or damage. There should be no yellow or brown spots on the leaves. Only bright green saturated color is welcome.

Corn salad Beneficial features

Even in ancient Rome, healers noticed incredible medicinal properties Valerianella oleracea. The tonic, wound-healing, diuretic and soothing qualities of the plant are noted.

Contraindications

Like most food products, corn salad has a number of contraindications for consumption:

• Food allergies.
• Increased gas formation.
• Peptic ulcer or gastritis.

Doctors also advise women who are protected by using oral contraceptives to avoid eating field salad too often. Since the plant contains substances that activate the reproductive system, the effectiveness of such drugs may be reduced.

But pregnant women, small children, and nursing mothers can safely eat corn salad. If a large number of products are not available to them during this period of life, then this plant is a pleasant and useful exception.

Storage

It is advisable to eat the lettuce as soon as it has been cut. If the plant was purchased in a store, then it is advisable to eat it as quickly as possible. The salad has a short shelf life, about two days in the refrigerator. It is recommended to first wrap the leaves in a paper napkin or newspaper.

Use and preparation

Lettuce is eaten only fresh. All taste, aroma and beneficial qualities will dissolve after heat treatment. You should wash it quickly so that the leaves do not swell when saturated with moisture. Corn salad recipes can be individual or combined in a delicious combination with other products. Many ladies prefer to eat the fragile, aromatic leaves, simply seasoning them lightly with olive oil.

What foods go well with field lettuce?

• Parsley, cilantro, basil.
• Boiled meat, bacon.
• Fish, seafood.
• Lemon juice or olive oil.
• Most citrus fruits.
• Sesame and other nuts.

It is recommended not to cut the salad with a knife, but to tear off the leaves with your hands. You need to season the salad with garden valerian immediately before serving and eating. Prolonged idle time in liquid threatens with missing damp, quickly withered and tasteless leaves.

One average bunch of lettuce contains about 140 grams. One branch contains 5-8 grams.

Recipes