TasteAtlas' 10 Best Salads in the World, Indonesia's Pecel Included

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Among the healthy food categories, salad ranks high for its nutritious ingredients, appetizing flavors, and luscious appearance. Adorning the plate with vibrant veggies and delish dippings, it’s surely fulfilling to taste salads from around the world. 

, an encyclopedia of flavors, recently published its annual ranking of the best salads in the world, featuring famous salads such as dakos, Greek salad, and mechouia salad. 

10 Best Salads in the World 

Combining nourishing essentials and mouthwatering sauces, these salads from around the world take pride in bringing their country’s distinctive cultures. Stay on the page to discover the list of the best salads in the world according to TasteAtlas.  

1. Dakos - Greece 

Dakos, or ntakos, with its iconic dry barley rusk, takes the crown as the best salad in the world, winning 4.5 ratings from the foodies site. The traditional Cretan dish includes a myriad of toppings, such as myzithra cheese, ripe tomatoes, capers, olives, oregano, and a generous splash of premium olive oil. If olives aren’t available, locals recommend several substitutes such as Koroneiki, Lianes, or Tsounates to attain the authentic palate. 

2. Mechouia Salad - Tunisia 

Originating from Tunisia, Mechouia Salad has a quite unique making process with grilled ingredients of chopped onions, peppers, garlic, and tomatoes. Once drizzled in olive oil, the salad is then thoroughly seasoned with salt, black pepper, and caraway. For a merrier appearance, Tunisian salads are usually served with hard-boiled eggs, tuna or olives, and toasted bread or baguette slices. 

3. Greek Salad - Greece 

Ranked third as the best salad in the world is Greek salad which has granted the reputation of being a favorable famous salad. As the national dish of Greece, horiatiki is renowned for being a rural dish mostly served when local farmers mix ingredients like tomatoes, red onions, and cucumbers together within the field settings. 

Today, additional flavors of olives, green peppers, feta cheese, oregano, salt, pepper, olive oil, and lemon or vinegar add to the freshness of this salad. 

4. Shopska Salata - Bulgaria 

Best served during the summer season, the Bulgarian traditional cold salad called Shopska salata is made of cucumbers, onions, roasted or raw peppers, and authentic Bulgarian cheese. This salad was originally crafted by the country’s high-ranked chefs in 1950 to draw tourists across the globe. As manifested, Bulgarian restaurants now serve Shopska salata drizzled in sunflower oil and grated Bulgarian sirene cheese on top. 

5. Pai Huang Gua - China 

With a score of 4.4, Pai Huang Gua is considered one of the best salads in the world worthy of exposure. Also popular as smacked cucumber, this healthy dish combines cucumbers, garlic, sesame oil, black vinegar, and soy sauce. Interestingly, the cucumbers in this traditional famous Tibetan food are processed by smacking them with a rolling pin to have a more intense flavor of other ingredients. 

6. Ovcharska Salata - Bulgarian 

The iconic Ovcharska salata, a variation of Bulgarian Shopska salata, made it to the list for its refreshing flavors. Aside from the main ingredients of cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers, and cheese, the summer dish also uses eggs, mushrooms, and ham to decorate the plate. 

7. Houria - Tunisia 

Ranked seventh among the world's best salads, TasteAtlas chooses Tunisia’s Houria which is easy to make. Mixing boiled and lightly mashed carrots with garlic, harissa, vinegar, olive oil, caraway seeds, and salt, this salad would be ready in no time. On some occasions, the plates are also garnished with hard-boiled eggs, crumbled feta cheese, coriander, and olives. 

8. Caprese Salad - Italy 

Said to have originated on the island of Capri, the essence of summer is best captured in Caprese salad, where ripe tomatoes, creamy mozzarella, and fresh basil dance together in the mouth. The authentic version of Caprese salad is made with the Re Umberto or Fiascone tomatoes grown along the Amalfi coast as well as treccia di Sorrento, also known as a type of braided mozzarella cheese. 

9. Fattoush - Lebanon 

Using pita bread as a base, Fattoush consists of ingredients like radish, lettuce, cherry tomatoes, peppers, crunchy cucumbers, onions, and garlic. After mixing with mint and parsley, the salad is generously dipped in an authentic dressing made of lemon juice, olive oil, and pomegranate syrup. 

10. Pecel - Indonesia 

Indonesian pecel rounds up the list of the best salads in the world for its distinctive peanut sauce. The sauce is made by mixing roasted peanuts with a variety of spices including chilies, palm sugar, garlic, shrimp paste, tamarind juice, salt, kaffir lime leaves, and kencur. 

Whether you enjoy simple, classic ingredients or more complex combinations, these best salads in the world offer a taste of the global palette that is rich in celebrated cultures and nourishing ingredients. For foodies alike, check also TasteAtlas’ version of the best soups in the world . 

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