Salmagundy is a layered salad with colorful greens, meat, anchovies, and eggs among the variety of ingredients, with a vinegar based dressing. The name has many variants such as salmagundi, salmagondi, salamongundy, sallad-magundy, Solomon Gundy, salmi-, salmogundy, salmagunda, and salmagundy. Watercress grows in cold springs and has been commercially grown in Europe since the early 1800’s. Long viewed for its healthy traits, the Egyptians ate it to improve the mind. The town crest of Vernon, France has three bunches of the plant representing those given to Saint-Louis [1214-1270] as he rested in the town. Bunches of watercress were sold at Covent Garden to be eaten as ice cream in cones are today. The poor would eat the cress with bread [or without] for breakfast, so it was called the poor man’s bread.
Glasse, Hannah. The Art of Cookery. London: 1778 p. 93 Salmagundy
Rundell, Maria. A new system of domestic cookery. 1807 Salmagundy
Randolph, Mary. The Virginia Housewife. 1838 Salmagundi / Salad
Vernon, France
Watercress historical facts
The Watercress Queen of London
The Watercress Line, Hampshire's heritage railway
History of Watercress
Alresford Watercress Festival, UK
Washington & William Irving and James Paulding published 'Salmagundi; or, The Whim-Whams and Opinions of Launcelot Langstaff & Others'. 1807-8
