Salad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They include a mixture of cold or hot foods, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.

Green salads include leaf lettuce and vegetables with a dressing. Other salads are based on pasta, noodles, jelly, or even Cool Whip. Most salads are traditionally served cold, although some, such as German potato salad, are served hot.

The word "salad" comes from the French salade of the same meaning, which in turn is from the Latin salata, "salty", from sal, "salt", (See also sauce, salsa, sausage). Vegetables seasoned with brine was a popular Roman dish. The terminology Salad days meaning a "time of youthful inexperience" (on notion of "green") is first recorded by Shakespeare in 1606 while the use of salad bar first appeared in American English in 1976.

Green salads including leaf lettuces are generally served with a dressing, as well as various toppings such as nuts or croutons, and sometimes with the addition of meat, fish, pasta, cheese, eggs, or whole grains. Salad is often served as an appetizer before a larger meal, but can also be a side dish, or a main course.