WALDORF SALAD

Like a lot of famous recipes, the history of the Waldorf salad is a slightly nebulous. The dish was created between 1893 and 1896 at the newly-opened Waldorf Hotel on Park Avenue (it’s now the Waldorf-Astoria). Oscar Tschirky was the maître d’hôtel (head waiter) rather than the chef, but it was he who invented the salad in its original guise. By 1896, the recipe for Waldorf salad was published inTschirky’s cookbook Oscar of the Waldorf. Here, he instructs: “Peel two raw apples and cut them into small pieces, say about half an inch square, also cut some celery the same way, and mix it with the apple. Be very careful not to let any seeds of the apples be mixed with it. The salad must be dressed with a good mayonnaise.” Interestingly, there is no mention of walnuts. These weren’t added until roughly 10 years later. Sometimes perfection takes a while. As with all the best salads, the Waldorf is often made with slight variations. As already mentioned, walnuts, grapes and lettuce were later additions to the dish as we know it today. Some people have taken it further. The Old Foodie blog claims some cooks used to sprinkle in orange rind. Others like to bulk out the salad and transform it into a main dish by adding chicken or turkey. Avocados, pears, grapefruit, and even maraschino cherries are can be incorporated too. Just make sure it doesn’t turn into a fruit salad. Oh, and if you’re dieting, try using natural yoghurt instead of mayo.