Thousand Island dressing is a salad dressing and condiment, a variant of remoulade and Russian dressing.
Its base commonly contains mayonnaise and can include olive oil, lemon juice, orange juice, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, vinegar, cream, chili sauce, tomato puree, ketchup, or Tabasco sauce.[1][2]
It also typically contains finely chopped ingredients, which can include pickles, onions, bell peppers, green olives, hard-boiled egg, parsley, pimento, chives, garlic, or chopped nuts (such as walnuts or chestnuts).[3][4][5]
Contents |
Thousand Island dressing is attested in a 1900 cookbook, in a context implying that it was well-known by then in New Orleans.[6]
According to The Oxford Companion of Food and Drink, "the name presumably comes from the Thousand Islands between the United States and Canada in the St. Lawrence River."[7] In the Thousand Islands area, one common version of the dressing's origins says that a fishing guide's wife, Sophia LaLonde, made the condiment as part of her husband George's shore dinner.[8] Often in this version, actress May Irwin requested the recipe after enjoying it.[9] Irwin in turn gave it to another Thousand Islands summer resident, George Boldt, who was building Boldt Castle in the area. Boldt, as proprietor of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, instructed the hotel's maître d'hôtel, Oscar Tschirky, to put the dressing on the menu.[10] A 1959 National Geographic article states, "Thousand Island Dressing was reportedly developed by Boldt's chef."[11]
In the 1950s, Thousand Island dressing became a standard condiment, used on sandwiches and salads alike. It is widely used in fast-food restaurants and diners in America. Thousand Island dressing is also sometimes used as an ingredient in a Reuben sandwich in place of Russian dressing.[12]
According to Sarah J. Gim of The Huffington Post, "many people assume that" the "Special sauce" used on a McDonald's Big Mac "is just Thousand Island dressing" but it is thicker, sweeter, and has a slightly different taste."[13]
|