Even as purely vegan menus became more untenable, the vegetable’s steady rise laid the groundwork. “For decades, vegetables were viewed merely as a garnish subordinate to protein,” says Crippa, but plants no longer occupy a secondary place. These days, they’re treated on a par with proteins. For Colagreco, “each has a personality, a season, a texture, an energy and a story,” and “this evolution reflects a more profound change in our relationship with food.”
One Italian chef takes things a step further. Niko Romito, of three-Michelin-starred Reale in Abruzzo, says we’re just getting started. “Within a single vegetable, I can uncover bitterness, sweetness, and acidity,” he says, “a complexity that animal protein simply cannot offer.” One of the first salads he served was mixed wild leaves paired with gin and an almond paste made solely from almonds and water. In recent years, he’s deepened his research on wild greens: last summer, he served them with a tomato water, tarragon extraction, lemon leaf oil, and spelt. “Guests deeply appreciate… this way of starting the menu.”
Instead of relying on rich oils or heavy butter, Romito uses waters, extractions, and natural juices to amplify flavor. “The pursuit of pure taste naturally led me toward extreme lightness, as excessive fats, sugars, or heavy seasonings mask the true identity of an ingredient,” he says. “Eliminating the unnecessary spontaneously results in a very healthy cuisine.”
A salad of mixed winter wild greens, cime di rapa, mustard, and licorice at Reale.
Photo: Andrea Straccini
This pursuit of lightness runs parallel to a broader concern with digestibility—central to Crippa’s approach too, which leans on extractions, light dashi, and the natural acidities and essential oils herbs release themselves. “The health aspect and the feeling of lightness at the end of the meal are not a side effect,” Crippa says, “but an integral part of the gastronomic experience I offer.”
Fewer customers will tolerate indigestion or poor sleep after a rich meal, prompting some chefs to lean into the historic digestive role of salads. Supaksorn “Ice” Jongsiri of Sorn, Bangkok’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant, explains that “serving a raw rice salad right before the main courses acts as an essential digestive transition.” Sorn’s kaleidoscopic khao yam features southern Thai rice, herbs, and a house-fermented budu dressing, mixed table-side to preserve crunch. “The natural essential oils in fresh herbs, local citrus acidity, and raw fiber awaken the palate and prepare the stomach,” says Ice. “It makes an intensive multi-course experience feel significantly lighter.”
