Salamagundy

Jon Townsend knows historical foods and wants us to know them, too. He found a recipe for salamagundy from 1793, and did the research on this dish. Salamagundy goes back to the 17th century, and is sometimes spelled salamagundi or salad magundi. It was a fancy, colorful, and attractive way to serve a variety of cold foods. Note that the recipe spells it Salamongundy, which might remind you of the nursery rhyme Solomon Grundy. The rhyme may have been inspired by the salad.

At any rate, the modern equivalent of this dish would be a chef's salad, or a salad bar, depending on the presentation. Many folks know it as Sunday night supper (since the big cooked meal was at midday) or leftovers.