Mesclun () is a mix of assorted small young

salad greens Leaf vegetables, also called leafy greens, pot herbs, vegetable greens, or simply greens, are plant leaves eaten as a vegetable, sometimes accompanied by tender petioles and shoots. Leaf vegetables eaten raw in a salad can be called salad gre ...

that originated in

Provence Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

, France. The traditional mix includes

chervil Chervil (; ''Anthriscus cerefolium''), sometimes called French parsley or garden chervil (to distinguish it from similar plants also called chervil), is a delicate annual herb related to parsley. It was formerly called myrhis due to its volat ...

arugula Arugula (American English) or rocket (Commonwealth English) (''Eruca vesicaria''; syns. ''Eruca sativa'' Mill., ''E. vesicaria'' subsp. ''sativa'' (Miller) Thell., ''Brassica eruca'' L.) is an edible annual plant in the family Brassicaceae used a ...

, leafy lettuces and

endive Endive () is a leaf vegetable belonging to the genus ''Cichorium'', which includes several similar bitter-leafed vegetables. Species include '' Cichorium endivia'' (also called endive), ''Cichorium pumilum'' (also called wild endive), and ''Cich ...

, while the term ''mesclun'' may also refer to a blend that might include some or all of these four and baby spinach, collard greens,

Swiss chard Chard or Swiss chard (; ''Beta vulgaris'' subsp. ''vulgaris'', Cicla Group and Flavescens Group) is a green leafy vegetable. In the cultivars of the Flavescens Group, the leaf stalks are large and often prepared separately from the leaf blade; ...

(silver beet),

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

greens,

dandelion ''Taraxacum'' () is a large genus of flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, which consists of species commonly known as dandelions. The scientific and hobby study of the genus is known as taraxacology. The genus is native to Eurasia and Nor ...

greens, frisée,

mizuna , kyona, Japanese mustard greens, or spider mustard, Mark Bittman is a cultivar of ''Brassica rapa'' var. ''niposinica''. Description and use Possessing dark green, serrated leaves, mizuna is described as having, when raw, a "piquant, mild p ...

, mâche (lamb's lettuce),

radicchio Radicchio ( or ; ) is a perennial cultivated form of leaf chicory (''Cichorium intybus'', Asteraceae) sometimes known as Italian chicory because of its common use in Italian cuisine. It is grown as a leaf vegetable and usually has colorful white ...

sorrel Sorrel (''Rumex acetosa''), also called common sorrel or garden sorrel, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the family Polygonaceae. Other names for sorrel include spinach dock and narrow-leaved dock ('dock' being a common name for the genus '' ...

, 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, as his stele reproduced below reminds us. For these comedians and humanists, this expression meant “real living together”. The term ''mesclun'' for a mixture of young salad greens is quite recent, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary first used in 1976. Of Provençal dialect origin, it derives from the verb ''mesclar'', to "mix thoroughly" and literally means "mixture". According to

local lore Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context, often concentrating on a relatively small local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history. Local history is not merely national history writ small b ...

, mesclun originated with the farmers around

Nice Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...

, who would each bring their own unique and prized mix of

baby greens An infant or baby is the very young offspring of human beings. ''Infant'' (from the Latin word ''infans'', meaning 'unable to speak' or 'speechless') is a formal or specialised synonym for the common term ''baby''. The terms may also be used to ...

to the

farmers' markets A farmers' market (or farmers market according to the AP stylebook, also farmer's market in the Cambridge Dictionary) is a physical retail marketplace intended to sell foods directly by farmers to consumers. Farmers' markets may be indoors or ...

. One of the most representative and authentic versions combined baby dandelion, lettuce and rocket (arugula). Noted chef

Alice Waters Alice Louise Waters (born April 28, 1944) is an American chef, restaurateur, and author. In 1971 she opened Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant famous for its role in creating the farm-to-table movement and for pioneering Californi ...

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 oak leaf. 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 botany, a plant shoot consists of any plant stem together with its appendages, leaves and lateral buds, flowering stems, and flower buds. The new growth from seed germination that grows upward is a shoot where leaves will develop. In the spri ...

in the spot where ''mesclun'' grows."

Spring mix

In the North American

foodservice The foodservice (US English) or catering (British English) industry includes the businesses, institutions, and companies which prepare meals outside the home. It includes restaurants, school and hospital cafeterias, catering operations, and many ...

industry, the first appearance of ''mesclun'' traces to restaurants and farm stands in the early 1980s, with a rise in popularity since. A ''mesclun mix'' can be described as comprising baby leaves of lettuces and other greens (and often

herbs In general use, herbs are a widely distributed and widespread group of plants, excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients, with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, for medicinal ...

) 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 lolla rossa lettuces, frisée,

tatsoi ''Tatsoi'' (''Brassica rapa subsp. narinosa'' or ''Brassica rapa var. rosularis'') is an Asian variety of ''Brassica rapa'' grown for greens. Also called tat choy, it is closely related to the more familiar Bok Choy. This plant has become popu ...

bok choy Bok choy (American English, Canadian English, and Australian English), pak choi (British English) or pok choi (''Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''chinensis'') is a type of Chinese cabbage, used as food. ''Chinensis'' varieties do not form heads and have g ...

(joi choi), arugula, spinach,

orach ''Atriplex'' () is a plant genus of about 250 species, known by the common names of saltbush and orache (; also spelled orach). It belongs to the subfamily Chenopodioideae of the family Amaranthaceae ''s.l.''. The genus is quite variable and ...

, mizuna, dandelion, mustard greens and

garden cress Cress (''Lepidium sativum''), sometimes referred to as garden cress (or curly cress) to distinguish it from Cress (disambiguation), similar plants also referred to as cress (from old Germanic ''cresso'' which means sharp, spicy), is a rather fas ...

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 Bulk can refer to: Industry * Bulk cargo * Bulk liquids * Bulk mail * Bulk material handling * Bulk pack, packaged bulk materials/products * Bulk purchasing * Baking * Bulk fermentation, the period after mixing when dough is left alone to ferm ...

packs for best flavor and freshness.

References

{{Salads Salads Cuisine of Provence French cuisine

Origins

Spring mix

See also

References