Our taste for salads is not a recent acquirement. It is an inheritance which comes to us thru centuries of their use in Eastern lands. In the Orient, cucumbers and melons were classed among earth's choicest productions. We read of the Hebrews eating for the Passover, lettuce, camomile, dandelion and mint, on which were used oil and vinegar. The Greeks served lettuce at the end of the meal, while the Ancient Romans served lettuce with eggs as a first course to excite the appetite. Galen, the celebrated physician called it the "philosopher's or wise man's herb."