Know2eat

Mâche

Valerianella locusta

What mâche has been studied for

1 association assessed — none with dependable human evidence behind them yet. Strongest first.

  • 1 Insufficient
2 things to know first — allergies, interactions and intake limits

About mâche

A small rosette-forming winter salad green with soft, spoon-shaped leaves and a mild, faintly nutty flavour. It grows through cold weather, which is why it appears in European markets when other salad leaves do not.

Also known as Corn salad, Lamb’s lettuce, Field salad, Feldsalat

Eye Health

The evidence in depth

Best supported: Insufficient

What each association actually rests on, and the papers behind it. A rating describes the state of the research, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Macular health

Eye Health
Insufficient evidence

Mâche contributes lutein, and lutein intake from leafy greens as a group has been linked with macular pigment density. Nothing has been measured for this particular leaf, and the portion size at which it is normally eaten is small.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Mâche

Ask about Mâche

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories21 kcal1%
Protein2 g4%
Total fat0.4 g1%
Carbohydrate3.6 g1%
Water92.8 g—
Fats
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Vitamins
Vitamin A355 µg39%
Vitamin C38.2 mg42%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Thiamin (B1)0.071 mg6%
Riboflavin (B2)0.087 mg7%
Niacin (B3)0.415 mg3%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.042 mg1%
Vitamin B60.273 mg16%
Folate14 µg4%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Minerals
Calcium38 mg3%
Iron2.18 mg12%
Magnesium13 mg3%
Phosphorus53 mg4%
Potassium459 mg10%
Sodium4 mg0%
Zinc0.59 mg5%
Copper0.134 mg15%
Manganese0.359 mg16%
Selenium0.9 µg2%
Other measured compounds
Ash1.2 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Cornsalad, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169219).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • with fatIncreases carotenoid absorption

    Beta-carotene and lutein need dietary fat to be absorbed. A dressed salad delivers several times more carotenoid into circulation than the same leaves eaten undressed.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Worth knowing

    Grit and washing

    Mâche grows as a low rosette in contact with soil and holds grit in the crown. It needs more thorough washing than most salad leaves, which also matters for the soil-borne pathogens that have caused outbreaks in ready-to-eat salads generally.

  • Worth knowing

    Nitrate in winter-grown leaves

    Leafy salads grown under low winter light accumulate more nitrate, and mâche is a winter crop. This is only relevant at the extremes of intake and for purée given to very young infants.