Insalata di misticanza [ Italian mixed salad ]

“Fatevi all’uscio, madonna dolciata
Che v’ho recato un cesto d’insalata.
Io v’ho recato d’ogni fin’erbetta
Menta, cicerchia, fiorana e rutetta
E nepitella, metaschio e borrana.”

(“Come forward, Madonna / I brought you a head of salad / I brought you most delicate herbs / Mint, cicerchia, fiorana and racket / And lesser calamint, metaschio and borage.”)

This XIII Century Ballad verses testify the mixed salad origin, ancient called salad of “misticanza”. In Rome the Capuchin friar were the forerunners of the current vegetables markets.  As remuneration for the offering received from benefactors, they gave their a big variety of salads: lettuce, curly endive, chervil, lady’s mantle, chicory, rocket, caccialepre, burnet…