Appalachia's Killed Lettuce Is A Whole New Take On Salad

Appalachia is home to some pretty interesting foods. It's well known as the home of pepperoni rolls, an Appalachian favorite, and it's also the birthplace of Mountain Dew. One thing is for sure: Appalachian cuisine brings some unique yet tasty eats to the table.

Even salads from Appalachia can be a bit unusual. Case in point: One of the most traditional Appalachian salads is known as killed lettuce. With a texture as unusual as its name, it turns out that this is a simple salad that packs a lot of flavor. A killed lettuce salad combines lettuce, rendered pork fat of some kind, and onions. What's most intriguing is that, unlike most salads, killed lettuce is served slightly warm.

Granted, the ingredients list is quite brief, but don't let that fool you. The bold, unusual flavor and slightly wilted texture are thanks to the addition of hot bacon, which is part of what has made it so popular throughout the years. Recipes have even started going viral for it on TikTok, establishing it as one of the most interesting regional foods across America.

Despite the simplicity of the salad, you'll find many recipes for killed lettuce out there, but almost all of them start with three basic ingredients: lettuce, bacon, and green onions. Most of these recipes use the bacon drippings from cooking the bacon to dress the salad. Some recipes call for additional ingredients like vinegar or sugar for the dressing, while others replace the lettuce and green onions with spinach or regular onions.

All of these versions work equally well, but if you want to keep your killed lettuce as traditional as possible, the use of fresh leaf lettuce or spring greens with bacon and spring onions or ramps is recommended. The actual creation of the dish from there is simple. First, make sure to wash, drain, then pat dry the greens and place them to the side in a serving bowl.

The next step is to cook the bacon, but don't add it to the salad just yet. Once you have some bacon drippings in the pan, add your spring onions and toss them to combine the grease. The final step is to pour the bacon, onions, and drippings over the lettuce. Be sure to serve immediately, as the warm grease will cause the lettuce to wilt quickly and it might become mushy.