Mache Memories

The Full Conversation

The complete script for this episode, with the two hosts, in eleven parts.

1. 01Intro

   Amiyah: Hey guys, hope y'all having a good day. How is y'all today?
   Poke: I am good, just swaying in the breeze. How about you?
   Amiyah: I am wonderful, so happy to be back with you all.
   Amiyah: All right, let's spin the wheel and see what we have today.
   Poke: boom. Mache!
   Amiyah: The wheel landed on mache, also called corn salad, a tender little green that has quietly delighted cooks for centuries. The hosts closed the season with this gentle favorite.
   Poke: Oh, this is going to be a good one. Mache has range.

2. 02History

   Amiyah: Give me the history. Where did mache begin?
   Poke: Mache has grown wild across Europe for a very long time, often springing up in grain fields, which is how it earned the name corn salad. It was gathered as a free and welcome green.
   Amiyah: Wait, really?
   Poke: In time it became a treasured salad leaf, especially in France, where its soft texture and mild flavor made it a cool weather favorite.

3. 03Fun Facts

   Amiyah: Time for the surprising tidbits.
   Poke: Mache grows in small rosettes of soft rounded leaves.
   Amiyah: I did not know that at all.
   Poke: It has a mild, gently nutty flavor.
   Amiyah: That tracks.
   Poke: It thrives in cool weather, even in light frost.
   Amiyah: Wait, really?
   Poke: It is also known as lamb's lettuce.

4. 04Varieties

   Amiyah: How many kinds are we talking about here?
   Poke: Mache comes in a few leaf shapes and shades of green.
   Amiyah: Tell me more.
   Poke: Common mache has small tender rounded leaves.
   Amiyah: Large leaved mache is a little heartier.
   Poke: That tracks.
   Amiyah: Dark green types have a slightly bolder flavor.

5. 05World Use

   Amiyah: Take me around the globe with this one.
   Poke: In France, mache is a classic delicate salad green.
   Amiyah: Okay, that is so good to know.
   Poke: In Germany, it is a popular winter salad leaf.
   Amiyah: I did not know that at all.
   Poke: In Italy, it is tossed with simple oil and vinegar.
   Amiyah: That tracks.
   Poke: Across Europe, it brightens cool weather plates.

6. 06Myth

   Amiyah: Let us bust a myth. What have we got?
   Poke: A lot of people think some think corn salad is made with corn.
   Amiyah: Oh, I love that.
   Poke: Here is the truth. There is no corn involved. The name comes from the way the plant once grew wild in grain fields, which were called corn fields in old usage.

7. 07Fan Question

   Poke: Time for our favorite part, the fan question.
   Poke: What does mache taste like?
   Amiyah: Great question.
   Amiyah: Mache is soft and tender with a mild, gently nutty flavor, much sweeter and milder than peppery greens like arugula.

8. 08Host Opinions

   Amiyah: Here is where I land on this one, no sugar coating.
   Amiyah: I will be real, this one is growing on me the more we talk about it.
   Poke: Bold words from someone who once tried to put pineapple on everything.
   Amiyah: Amiyah loves mache dressed simply with oil and a little vinegar.
   Poke: Poke prefers it tossed with crunchy walnuts for contrast.
   Poke: I am just a palm tree, but even I think that is a spicy take.

9. 09Lightning Round

   Amiyah: Okay, quick facts, lightning round style.
   Amiyah: Mache is also called corn salad.
   Poke: It grows in soft little rosettes.
   Amiyah: It loves cool weather.
   Poke: Its flavor is mild and nutty.

10. 10Recap

    Amiyah: Let us recap what we learned today.
    Poke: The hosts closed the season learning that mache, or corn salad, is a tender, mild, gently nutty green that has charmed cool weather cooks across Europe for centuries.

11. 11Recipe

    Amiyah: Time to head to the kitchen.
    Poke: Today we are making Fresh Mache Salad. The full ingredients and steps are right below.
    Amiyah: Thanks for spinning with us. Spin It. Learn It. Love It.™

Recipe Segment

Fresh Mache Salad