Russian dressing is similar to Thousand Island. Some manufactured versions omit the mayonnaise and are clear rather than creamy, more like French or Catalina.[1]
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 tomatoesorasparagus.[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]
By 1914, Colburn's company was manufacturing it,[10] and distributing it to retailers and hotels. He earned enough from its sale to retire in 1924.[8]
In Australia, sauce made from mayonnaise and ketchup is called Cocktail Sauce and is used to dress prawns/shrimp in the appetiser known as prawn cocktail.
Tartar sauce has the piquant ingredients of Russian dressing, without the ketchup. It is typically served with fried fish.
Marie Rose sauce is similar to Russian dressing, but with different piquant ingredients. It is typically served with seafood.
^ abcdJohn Holl, "America was sweet on its spicy Russian dressing — until Thousand Island, that is", Washington Post22 December 2014Archived 23 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine
^"Local Mention", Nashua Telegraph, 6 May 1910, p. 10
^Stewart, Frances Elizabeth (1920). Lessons in Cookery. Vol. 2. New York, New York (USA): Rand McNally & Company. p. 123. Archived from the original on 3 April 2024. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
^George, Mrs. Alexander (24 April 1941). "Menus of the Day". Lewiston Morning Tribune. Lewiston, Idaho, USA. p. 3. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
