Mesclun

All the year round. Mesclun is not an individual salad plant but an amazing mixture of several different kinds. Originally it was made up of wild herbs: rocket (riquette), dandelions (pissenlit), lamb’s lettuce (mâche), purslane (pourpier), wild chicory, etc. I have even found chickweed (senneson), that small yellow-flowered weed that is generally kept for canaries. Today mesclun is usually made up of a number of small cultivated salad plants, varying according to the time of year. Commonly used are: curly endive, Batavia, cornette, lamb’s lettuce, dandelions, escarole, red endive (radicchio trevisano), chervil, parsley and even fennel. This salad is mostly eaten between Cannes and Menton and each village has its own variation. Seasoning: olive oil, of course.