Russian dressing is similar to Thousand Island. Some manufactured versions omit the mayonnaise and are clear rather than creamy, more similar to French or Catalina.[1]
History
Russian dressing is mentioned as early as 1900 in U.S. sources.[2] It is also documented in a 1910 catering book as an alternative to vinaigrette for dressing tomatoes or asparagus.[3] A 1913 cookbook has a recipe which is a vinaigrette with paprika and mustard.[4] A mayonnaise-based recipe is documented in 1914.[5] The condiment came to be called "Russian" since the original recipe included caviar, a staple of Russian cuisine.[6]
Local historians claim that the mayonnaise-based version was invented in Nashua, New Hampshire, by James E. Colburn in the 1910s.[7] A 1927 biographical article calls him "the originator and first producer of that delectable condiment known as Russian salad dressing".[8] Colburn had been selling "Colburn's Mayonnaise salad dressing" at his store since at least 1910.[9]
To have conferred upon the epicurean tastes of a great body of people a delicacy at once as refined as it is permanent in its popularity is not to have lived in vain; rather it is to have added to the joy of living. ... [Colburn] hit upon an assembly of ingredients, which he named Russian salad dressing, ... [and earned] wealth on which he was enabled to retire. ... As he rests on his laurels, he is conscious of having done his part well in conferring a blessing upon the people who have learned the art of eating well.
— Hobart Pillsbury, New Hampshire Resources ... [8]
Certainly by 1914, Colburn's company was manufacturing it,[10] and distributing it to retailers and hotels. He earned enough from its sale that he retired in 1924.[8]