Why should baby leaf salads be eaten raw?

In almost all recipes, baby leaf salads are served raw, as a side dish or as a main food for appetizers and large salads. The choice of eating baby leaf salads raw is not a chef’s whim, nor does it depend on the consistency or flavour assumed by the baby leaf salads during the cooking processes. Here’s why

Like all leafy salads, baby leaf salads are rich in mineral salts and elements that are good for our body. Rocket, for example, is rich in fibre and calcium; baby spinach is packed with iron and folic acid; baby lettuce is an excellent source of vitamins.

Regular consumption of baby leaf salads therefore promotes the correct functioning of the intestinal apparatus and improves the functions of the organism, provided however that the mineral salts and vitamins are not altered by the processes adopted during the preparation of meals.

When a food is cooked, the heat generates a chemical reaction that changes its nutritional configuration. In vegetables, in particular, the cooking processes cause dispersion of the mineral salts and vitamins, and the loss of certain nutrients of such foods.

In the case of baby leaf salads, this effect is amplified further by the small size of the leaves, whereby even just blanching the baby leaf salads is sufficient to cause them to lose most of their beneficial nutrients.

The machinery we use for soil processing, seeding and harvesting operations is cleaned and periodically sanitised to prevent contamination and guarantee a safe product.

Another aspect that should not be underestimated when choosing to cook baby leaf salads is their shelf-life. Raw baby leaf salads have a longer shelf-life than the same varieties that have been cooked in unprotected surroundings. Moreover, raw baby leaf salads have a more pleasant texture and, in many cases, a more pleasant and less bitter taste.

Although there are some recipes that involve cooking baby leaf salads, such as the famous Japanese Nabemono, we recommend eating them raw, choosing from the many pairing possibilities provided by every kind of baby leaf.