A vegetable dish that originally consisted only of raw green leafy vegetables and garden herbs, known as salad plants up until the 20th century. As a dish, the salad made its way into international cuisine from Italy, or more specifically, from Ancient Rome, where the salad was a single dish consisting of endive, parsley, and onions seasoned with honey, pepper, salt, and vinegar. Thus, salads were known as far back as 2500 years ago. In the Middle Ages, salad was made from green onions, garlic feathers, mint, and parsley leaves. However, salads spread beyond the Apennine Peninsula in the late 16th and early 17th centuries and made their way to France, initially as an exquisite court dish served alongside hot dishes. It was in France in the 17th and 18th centuries that salads underwent further development. This was explained not only by the overall high level of French culinary art but also by the fact that in France, with its mild but cooler climate compared to Italy, salad plants thrived, growing rich, juicy, and sweet-tasting leaves. Later, the French introduced lettuce to the composition of the salad — a plant with a neutral taste consisting of a single leaf. It was lettuce that became known worldwide as salad because it was used to make the first French salads, which subsequently gained popularity in other European countries.