Например: «Пусть салат и простой, он всё равно вкусный».

Not exactly.

In this sentence, пусть is not a command like Let the salad be simple. Instead, it introduces a concession: something like granted, even if, admittedly, or though.

So:

Пусть салат и простой, он всё равно вкусный
means roughly: The salad may be simple, but it’s still tasty.

This use of пусть is common in patterns where the speaker accepts one fact but then contrasts it with another.

Here, и does not really mean and.

In constructions like пусть ... и ... or хотя ... и ..., и is a particle that helps emphasize the concessive idea. It highlights the quality being admitted.

So:

Пусть салат и простой...
is closer to: Granted that the salad is simple... or Simple though the salad may be...

This и is very common in this kind of sentence. Without it, the sentence may sound less natural or may be understood differently.

Because in the present tense, Russian usually omits the verb to be.

So:

салат простой
literally looks like salad simple, but it means the salad is simple.

And:

он вкусный
means it is tasty.

This is completely normal in Russian. You do not usually say есть here.

They are both adjectives agreeing with салат.

Since салат is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

the adjectives are also:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

So:

• салат простой
• он вкусный

This is the standard agreement pattern for predicate adjectives in sentences like this.

Here всё равно means all the same, still, or anyway.

It shows that the second statement remains true despite the first one.

So the logic is:

• yes, the salad is simple
• but even so, it is tasty

That is why всё равно fits well after a concessive clause.

Be careful: всё равно can also mean it doesn’t matter in other contexts, but not here.

It is not absolutely required in every possible context, but here it sounds natural and complete.

Russian often uses a pronoun in the second clause instead of repeating the noun:

• Пусть салат и простой, он всё равно вкусный.

You could sometimes hear a more elliptical version like:

• Пусть салат и простой, всё равно вкусный.

But that is more conversational and less complete-sounding. For learners, keeping он is a good choice.

Because the sentence has two parts:

1. a concessive clause: Пусть салат и простой
2. the main clause: он всё равно вкусный

Russian separates these with a comma, just as English often separates similar clauses:

• Although the salad is simple, it’s still tasty.

So the comma is standard punctuation here.

Yes.

You can say:

Пусть салат и простой, но он всё равно вкусный.

That is also natural. The но makes the contrast more explicit.

Without но, the sentence is still fine because всё равно already carries the idea of still / nevertheless.

So both are possible:

• Пусть салат и простой, он всё равно вкусный.
• Пусть салат и простой, но он всё равно вкусный.

Yes, very often.

A close equivalent is:

Хотя салат и простой, он всё равно вкусный.

This means almost the same thing.

A useful rough comparison is:

• хотя = although
• пусть in this pattern = granted / even if / though

So хотя is often the more straightforward textbook option, while пусть ... и ... can sound a bit more like the speaker is conceding a point before making the main one.

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, though some versions sound more natural than others.

For example, you may also see:

Салат пусть и простой, но всё равно вкусный.

This puts a bit more focus on салат first.

The original version is very natural, but Russian often moves parts around for emphasis. The key things that stay the same are:

• the concessive idea with пусть ... и ...
• the contrasting idea with всё равно
• the overall meaning: simple, but still tasty