Top 100 Salads
in the World

Dakos or ntakos is a traditional Cretan dish consisting of a dry barley rusk called paximadi that is topped with crumbled myzithra cheese, chopped ripe tomatoes, whole olives, capers, fresh oregano, and a few generous splashes of high-quality olive oil. It's recommended to use olive varieties such as Koroneiki, Lianes, or Tsounates. Myzithra cheese is traditionally used, and not feta, which is usually reserved for tourist restaurants. The rusk is often gently rubbed with a small piece of garlic and lightly sprinkled with sea salt. If available, kritamo (sea fennel) is also sometimes added to dakos. The dish is usually served as a meze or light dinner.Expand

Ovcharska salata is a simple variation of the famous Shopska salata. Essentially, it is Shopska salata (cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cheese) with the addition of mushrooms, eggs, and ham. The salad is typically tossed with vegetable oil, left to rest for a few minutes, and it is then ready for consumption. It is especially popular in summer due to its refreshing flavors and the usage of seasonal vegetables.Expand

Named after its predominantly white color, Snezhanka or Snow White is a refreshing salad made with ingredients such as cucumbers, garlic, dill, oil, salt, and the Bulgarian staple – yogurt, in this case – strained to make it thicker. Walnuts, roasted peppers, and chopped parsley are sometimes added to the salad as a topping, according to personal preferences. Snezhanka is always served cold, either as an appetizer, meze, side dish, or a dip for pita bread. When served as part of a meze, it is traditionally accompanied by alcoholic beverages.Expand

Houria is a Tunisian salad made with carrots, harissa, garlic, vinegar, olive oil, caraway seeds, and salt. The salad is inexpensive and very easy to prepare. The carrots should be boiled and then lightly smashed into a purée. The purée is then combined with all other ingredients, and the salad is typically garnished with finely chopped parsley on top. However, there are many versions of this dish, so it is not uncommon to see hard-boiled eggs, olives, crumbled feta cheese, or coriander in the salad, which is typically served as a side dish, but it can also be consumed on its own.Expand

Mechouia is a Tunisian salad made with grilled, coarsely chopped onions, peppers, tomatoes, and garlic, drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with caraway, salt, and black pepper. The salad is then typically garnished with hard-boiled eggs, olives, or tuna. The salad can be served on its own, but it is also often served on toasted bread or baguette slices. It is quite common to find it in Tunisia as a part of a mix of appetizers in traditional restaurants.Expand

Greek salad, also known as village salad or horiatiki is the national dish of Greece, consisting of quartered tomatoes, sliced red onions, and chunky slices of cucumber. Depending on the region, there can also be olives, green peppers, feta cheese, oregano, salt, pepper, or a typical dressing made from olive oil and lemon or vinegar (optionally). When feta cheese is present in the salad, it is usually just sliced, but in some cases it's mixed in with a fork until slightly crumbled. Its name suggests that it was a rural dish, when farmers would take some essential ingredients to the field and mix them together. Greek salad is a true summer dish, full of refreshing, raw vegetables and herbs. It is best to prepare it with ripe tomatoes that are in season, while the olives should be of the Kalamata variety. Served in a shallow bowl, it is present on numerous Greek tables, either at home or in the taverns.Expand

Indonesian pecel may refer to a fragrant peanut sauce or a combination of the sauce and various vegetables, when it is commonly referred to as a salad. The base of the sauce is prepared with roasted peanuts and spices that typically include chili peppers, palm sugar, garlic, tamarind juice, shrimp paste, kaffir lime leaves, salt, and kencur, an aromatic ginger variety. Usually associated with Java, the sauce is characterized by its distinctive combination of sweet and spicy flavors. When served with rice, the dish goes under the name nasi pecel.Expand

Šopska salata is a traditional cold salad that is also one of the national dishes of Bulgaria. Often served during summer, when one can find it in most Bulgarian restaurants, the salad consists of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, roasted or raw peppers, and Bulgarian cheese. It was originally created in the 1950s, when Bulgarian top chefs were asked to create dishes that would attract tourists to the country. The vegetables are typically salted, drizzled with sunflower oil, and sprinkled with grated Bulgarian sirene cheese on top. Some people substitute sunflower oil with olive oil in hopes to enhance the dish, but it is believed that it only spoils the authentic taste of the salad. A perfect, light and refreshing dish for hot summer days, shopska salad is a healthy bite of Bulgarian tradition. The word shopska in its name refers to the frugal Shopi people from the Shopluk region, where Bulgaria, Serbia and Macedonia meet.Expand

Piyaz is a traditional salad. In most of the country, it's a general term for a dish of dried beans, parsley, onions, and sumac. In Antalya, however, piyaz also contains a rich and smooth sauce consisting of tahini, lemon juice, and vinegar. The beans are topped with the sauce, and the dish is usually dressed with chopped tomatoes, sliced onions, hard-boiled eggs, olive oil, and parsley. Piyaz is often eaten as an accompaniment to köfte and similar grilled meats, but it can also be included in a meze selection.Expand

Smacked cucumber is a traditional Asian dish that’s especially popular in Tibet as a snack for picnicking. The dish is usually made with a combination of cucumbers, garlic, sesame oil, black vinegar, and soy sauce. The cucumber is peeled and smacked with a rolling pin so that it’s bruised and starting to break apart. It’s sliced into chunks and mixed with the rest of the ingredients. The ingredients are tossed well and then served on a large plate. The cucumber is smacked because it will absorb the flavors of garlic, oil, vinegar, and soy sauce even better and it will have a more intense flavor.Expand