Russian salad

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Russian salad or salade russe is a composed salad of diced vegetables and sometimes meats bound in mayonnaise.

In modern usage, it is usually simply boiled diced vegetables bound in mayonnaise, very similar to some versions of macédoine de légumes froid. Earlier, it always included cold meat such as ham or tongue, or fish.

Salade russe was invented by M. Olivier, the chef of the Hermitage Restaurant in Moscow, in the late 19th century. The original version involved cold game served in a vinaigrette, and indeed is still called Salade Olivier in Russian.

The mid-20th century restaurant version involves not just vegetables, but also pickled tongue, sausage, lobster meat, truffles, etc. garnished with capers, anchovy filets, etc. Some versions mold it in aspic.

[edit] References

• Alan Davidson, The Oxford Companion to Food, Oxford, 1999. ISBN 0-19-211579-0.
• Larousse Gastronomique