Swiss salads are often like a slaw or remoulade – such as Swiss kohlrabi & herb salad and Swiss cucumber salad – rather than based on leafy greens. The exception is nüsslisalat, which appears on almost every Swiss restaurant menu. You may know this small spoon-shaped leaf by its French name mâche (pronounced mahsh). It’s also called lamb’s lettuce because the leaves are shaped like lambs’ tongues, and cornsalad as it traditionally grew wild among the grain crops. The Swiss name, nüsslisalat, refers to its slightly nutty flavour. In Switzerland these small, spoon-shaped leaves are traditionally garnished with croûtons and finely chopped boiled egg and almost always served with a cream dressing. I prefer a classic vinaigrette, just enough to lightly coat the leaves – you may not need it all and any leftover can be stored in the jar in the fridge for at least a week. In Switzerland salad is typically a separate course, and nüsslisalat is a deliciously simple starter. It’s also a great accompaniment to grilled or roasted meat and Swiss dishes, from Chässchnitte to mushrooms in cream sauce.
Serves 2 as a starter
Vinaigrette
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In French, lamb’s lettuce is called mâche, pronounced mahsh. It’s sometimes misspelled with an accent over the e (maché), but this is incorrect. Mâche is also sometimes called douceur in French, meaning sweet (or in this case tender), though that name can also refer to other delicate lettuces such as butter lettuce.
Mâche (Valerianella locusta in Latin) is also known as nüsslisalat, lamb’s lettuce, corn salad, field salad, feldsalat, fetticus (from the Dutch vetticost), douceur and rapunzel.
Mâche is often called lamb’s lettuce (or lambs lettuce) because its small spoon-shaped leaves resemble the shape of a lamb’s tongue.
Lamb’s lettuce (mâche) traditionally grew wild among the grain crops and was foraged as a wild weed, therefore it’s known as corn salad (corn once referred to any grain, not just maize) as well as field salad (feldsalat in German).
The name nüsslisalat, literally ‘nut salad’, refers to the slightly nutty flavour of this delicate salad green.
Mâche is also known as rapunzel because in the Brothers Grimm fairytale of that name it was the salad green that Rapunzel’s father stole from the witch’s garden for his wife.
Mâche (nüsslisalat) has a delicate, slightly nutty flavour and soft, tender texture.
Mâche (lamb’s lettuce or corn salad) consists of small, dark green, spoon-shaped leaves that grow in small rosettes or clumps. It is available in punnets from many greengrocers.
