When you think of the best German foods, the common dishes that come to mind include schnitzel, bratwurst, pretzels, potato salad, and currywurst. Rarely is field salad introduced as an option, but this traditional German dish pairs perfectly with any main course.
What Rapunzel Lettuce (Field Salad) Is
Field salad (Valerianella locusta), known as feldsalatin German, is used like lettucein salad. It is also famously known as Rapunzel Lettuce, after the vitamin-rich food that cost a peasant family their only daughter in theBrothers Grimm fairy tale. You'll most often find field greens, also known as corn salad, as a salad with chopped hard-boiled eggs and crumbled bacon. For toppings, it's typically mixed with ahot bacon vinaigrette,mustard dressing,or simply used in a mixed greens salad.
Grown as a winter or early spring green, field salad is available in grocery stores as a whole plant with its small main root attached. Thisaromatic and often nutty-tasting green is popular in Europe and has a high level of Vitamin C, beta-carotene, Vitamin B6, folic acid,iron,and potassium.
How Field Salad Grows
Field salad grows in a loose rosette and is harvested two to three months after planting. It resists frosts to -4 F (-20 C) and can be harvested well into the winter if planted August through September. Field greens can be sensitive to warm and hot temperatures, so cool seasons are recommended. If planted later, it survives through the winter and can be harvested in the spring. It is recommended that you pick field salad after the frost is gone in the morning, because it will wilt.
Choosing a soil that is rich in compost and additional organic material will yield the best growth results. Ensure that the soil is well-drained, rich, and slightly acidic.You can maintain the growth by watering moderately, fertilizing with an all-purpose blend as necessary, and growing it in the full sun to part shade. The seeds or seedlings will germinate for seven to 14 days at 50-70 degrees F and the life of the seed will last for about five years.Buy corn orfield salad seedsto start growing your own field salad today.
How to Prepare and Eat It
To clean field salad, it must be washed carefully, as the dirt and sand collects at the base of the leaves. If you do not cut through the short stem, the plants can be dressed and eaten whole, in one bite. You can make an easy, simple field salad (mâche) with oil, lemon juice, salt, dill, and greens. For a kick, add peas, endives, and the flavors of spring with a fresh lemon vinaigrette.
For a creamier and heavier dressing, consider these German salad recipes:
- Cream Salad Dressing Recipe:In this recipe, sour cream is replaced by half-and-half, lemonjuice, and sugar. It's perfect for Bibb lettuce, also known as butter lettuce and Boston lettuce.
- Sour Cream Salad Dressing Recipe:This easy and creamy salad dressing lends itself to numerous variations. Start with red onion, chili powder, and German mustard.
FAQs
These are apparently the English names for rapunzel: valerianella locusta, corn salad, common corn salad, lamb's lettuce, mâche, metticus, feldsalat, nut lettuce and field salad.
What is the lettuce in rapunzel? ›
Yes, you guessed it: The green they wanted was lamb's lettuce — aka Valerianella locusta. So Rapunzel lettuce isn't named after the fairy tale princess (spoiler alert: she eventually uses her long hair to meet a prince). Rather, the fairy tale princess is named after the lettuce Rapunzel.
What is the German vegetable in rapunzel? ›
Field salad (Valerianella locusta), known as feldsalat in German, is used like lettuce in salad. It is also famously known as Rapunzel Lettuce, after the vitamin-rich food that cost a peasant family their only daughter in the Brothers Grimm fairy tale.
Where does Rapunzel lettuce grow? ›
Formally the rapunzel plant is Campanula rapunculus, native from southwestern Asia through central Europe to North Africa. The genus Campanula contains upwards of 500 species of what are commonly called bluebells, bellflowers, or harebells, widely distributed throughout the northern hemisphere.
Does Rapunzel mean lettuce in German? ›
Some translations of the Grimms' story have rapunzel as rampion, which is a European bellflower that's commonly used in salad, but the German word rapunzel refers to lamb's lettuce.
Is the Rapunzel plant edible? ›
Rapunzel is the German name for lamb's lettuce. In fact, it is the ancient folk name for not one, but three different plants, the roots and leaves of which are edible!
What is the green thing in Rapunzel? ›
Introduced as the pet and best friend of Rapunzel, Pascal is a chameleon who lives with Rapunzel in Mother Gothel's secluded tower.
Is Rapunzel German or Danish? ›
Rapunzel – Germany
Disney's 2010 hit film, Tangled, was loosely based on the German tale of Rapunzel.
What food does Rapunzel eat? ›
* Mother Gothel's Hazelnut & Parsnip Soup. This is Rapunzel's “favorite soup” according to the movie. There are a few recipes floating around online but this looked the most “authentic” and tasty, IMHO.
Why is Rapunzel named Rapunzel? ›
Desperate, he agrees. When the wife gives birth to a baby girl, the sorceress takes her to raise as her own and names her "Rapunzel" after the plant her mother had craved for. Rapunzel grows up to be a beautiful child with long golden hair.
From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary EnglishRa‧pun‧zel /rəˈpʌnzəl/ a character in a fairy tale who is kept prisoner at the top of a high tower. She is set free when she lets her very long hair hang down the side of the tower and a handsome prince climbs up her hair, using it like a rope, and saves her.
Where is most lettuce grown in the world? ›
Aside from its heat-intolerance, it is easy-to-cultivate and can be grown just about anywhere, but China, the United States (especially California) and India lead the world in lettuce production. There are many varieties, all descended from the original wild lettuce, probably native to temperate Asia and Europe.
What is the other name for rapunzel plant? ›
Campanula rapunculus, common name rampion bellflower, rampion, rover bellflower, or rapunzel, is a species of bellflower (Campanula) in the family Campanulaceae. L. This species was once widely grown in Europe for its leaves, which were used like spinach, and its parsnip-like root, which was used like a radish.
What does rapunzel mean in English? ›
Noun Pronoun. Filter (0) In a folk tale, a girl who is imprisoned in a tower by a witch and rescued by a prince who climbs to her by means of her extraordinarily long hair. Webster's New World.
What is romaine lettuce in English? ›
Romaine or cos lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. var. longifolia) is a variety of lettuce that grows in a tall head of sturdy dark green leaves with firm ribs down their centers.
What's another name for curly lettuce? ›
This leafy green can be a bit confusing because it goes by a number of names (depending on variety) including chicory, frisée (pronounced free-ZAY) and curly endive.
