How to eat a salad properly in French restaurants

In France, table etiquette is taken very seriously, and salad is one of its most demanding areas. The most striking rule is that lettuce leaves are not cut with a knife. They are folded with a fork and knife until they form a perfect bite, because lettuce cut on the plate suggests that the kitchen hasn't done its job properly.

Nor are huge bites taken. To scoop up the salad, a small piece of bread is used, which is pierced with a fork to absorb the vinaigrette. It's a technique that requires skill and avoids a common etiquette mistake in haute cuisine.

The salad isn't eaten before the main course, but after. Its preparation is equally meticulous: the lettuce is washed seven times in tubs of water until spotless, thoroughly dried, and then hand-shredded. Cutting it with a knife is almost sacrilegious, because the leaves bruise and turn brown.

Once chopped, the lettuce is dressed just before serving, almost always with vinaigrette. Dressing it in advance softens and wilts it, which is why the vinaigrette is applied at the last minute. In restaurants, you don't ask for separate dressing because the salad arrives already dressed.

The Niçoise, one of the most famous French salads and a favorite of Martha Stewart, combines lettuce, tuna, potatoes, tomatoes, green beans, capers, olives, and hard-boiled eggs. With it comes another etiquette issue: the olive pit. It's not removed with your fingers. You put your fist to your mouth, place the pit in the center, and then leave it on the plate so no one sees it.

All these rules reflect a respect for the ingredients and for tradition. The same care extends to other details, such as breaking the bread instead of cutting it or waiting until the first course to touch the loaf. Before starting, in French restaurants, guests are greeted with "bon appétit."