Cucumbers and head of lettuce

The painting Cucumbers and head of lettuce is a pendant to the painting of ham and figs, with which it shares the story.

Thanks to The gallant Cook, recipe book by chef Vincenzo Corrado, it is known that cucumbers lent themselves to a variety of uses in 18th-century cooking: they were served marinated, fried, boiled in meat sauce or pickled; used as a side dish for meat and fish.

It is reported that lettuces were often eaten raw, as a salad, i.e. dressed with oil, salt and vinegar, but they could also be eaten cooked: boiled, with a dressing of anchovy pesto, tarragon, capers, oil, and vinegar; stuffed, with a sauce of anchovies, oil, thyme, garlic, salt and pepper, then tied with a string and cooked, and served with bread crusts.