Columella Salad

Columella salad takes its name from Lucius Columella, the 1st-century Roman agricultural writer whose treatise De Re Rustica described moretum (an ancient Roman herb-and-cheese spread that’s the ancestor of this salad). The modern interpretation deconstructs that paste into a salad with crumbled feta, fresh mint, cilantro, parsley, scallions, savory, and thyme tossed with crisp lettuce.

The herb mix is the whole show. Six different fresh herbs and aromatic ingredients pile on the green flavor, with feta providing the creamy salty counterpoint and chopped walnuts bringing crunch. A simple vinegar-and-olive-oil dressing keeps everything bright without competing.

The recipe note offers an authentic moretum variation: blend most of the ingredients with just two lettuce leaves into a paste, fold in the cheese, and form into a ball. That’s how the ancient Romans actually ate this. Either way, it’s history on a plate.

Pro Tips

• Wash and dry the herbs and lettuce thoroughly. Wet leaves dilute the dressing and make the salad watery.
• Toast the walnuts before adding (or substitute lightly toasted sesame seeds, the recipe notes this option). Untoasted nuts taste flat; toasted ones add depth.
• Tear lettuce by hand, don’t cut. Knife edges bruise the leaves and turn them brown faster.
• Add the dressing just before serving. Dressed salads wilt fast; the herbs stay perky and the lettuce crisp if dressed at the last moment.
• Use a quality red wine vinegar or sherry vinegar for the dressing. Distilled white vinegar is too harsh for this delicate herb-driven salad.

Variations

• Make the authentic moretum version: blend the herbs with a little olive oil into a paste, fold in feta and pepper, shape into a ball. Serve with bread.
• Substitute fresh oregano or marjoram for the savory if you can’t find it.
• Use crumbled goat cheese or ricotta salata in place of feta for a different cheese profile.