A Waldorf salad is a salad generally made of fresh apples, celery, grapes and walnuts, dressed in mayonnaise, and usually served on a bed of lettuce as an appetizer or a light meal.
The Waldorf salad was first created for a charity ball given in honor of the St. Mary’s Hospital for Children on March 14, 1893 at the Waldorf hotel in New York City. Oscar Tschirky, who was the Waldorf's maître d'hôtel and developed or inspired many of its signature dishes, is widely credited with creating the recipe. In 1896 the salad appeared in The Cook Book by "Oscar of the Waldorf".
The original recipe did not contain nuts, but they had been added by the time the recipe appeared in The Rector Cook Book in 1928. The dish is featured prominently in an eponymous episode of the sitcom Fawlty Towers.
Other ingredients, such as chicken, turkey, and dried fruit (e.g. dates or raisins) are sometimes added. Updated versions of the salad sometimes change the dressing to a seasoned mayonnaise or a yogurt dressing. A variation known as an Emerald Salad replaces celery with cauliflower. The salad also may include zest of oranges and lemons.
See also
- Fruit salad
- List of fruit dishes
- List of regional dishes of the United States
- Waldorf Salad (Fawlty Towers)
References
