History of Russian dressing

Russian dressing is not Russian and it is not for salads, but more of a sandwich spread – usually a Reuben. Russian dressing is a creamy, slightly spicy, salmon-hued spread made from mayonnaise, ketchup, sour cream, prepared horseradish, and dill relish.

The mayo and ketchup concoction was created in Nashua, New Hampshire. The earliest reference to Russian dressing, is from a 1911 menu for the Gridiron Club. Salads with Russian dressing were fashionable before World War I.

It was grocer James E. Colburn who invented the spread. Colburn had been selling "Colburn's Mayonnaise salad dressing" at his store since at least 1910. While running that business he hit upon the idea of a Russian salad dressing. By 1914, Colburn's company was manufacturing it, and distributing it to retailers and hotels.

The Washington Post cites the 1927 text, which says Colburn sold the condiment to “retailers and hotels across the country, earning ‘wealth on which he was enabled to retire.’”

Contrary to its name, it did not originate in Russia but rather was supposedly created in New Hampshire and called “Russian dressing” because it originally contained caviar, a staple of Russian cuisine. Some say Colburn liked to mix in caviar, or perhaps because it sometimes was added to the Russian-inspired Salad Olivier.
History of Russian dressing

History of Thousand Island dressing

Thousand Island Dressing was named in honor of the beautiful area where it was first prepared, Thousand Islands, which are located between New York and Canada, around the turn of the 20th century. At the turn of the century, this region along the St. Lawrence River was a summer destination for the nation’s elite.

Story goes, in the early 20th century, a fishing guide's wife, Sophie Lalonde, made the condiment for her husband's shore dinner. She often served her dressing to the fisherman and one of the people who happened to sample the dressing on her trips to the Thousand Islands was actress May Irwin, who asked for the recipe.

She in turn, gave it to another Thousand Islands summer visitor George Boldt, who was the owner of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. Boldt then directed his world-famous maitre d', Oscar of the Waldorf, to put it on the hotel's menu at once. In 1972, Sophia’s original recipe for her “sauce” was found in a safe at the LaLondes’ restaurant, The Thousand Islands Inn, by its then owner, fisherman Allen Benas, who bottles and sells it at the local upscale grocer today.

Another version of the story begins at Boldt Castle, the palatial summer home that Waldorf-Astoria owner George Boldt built for his wife, Louise, at the turn of the last century – on a heart-shaped island.

According to legend, one day, while Boldt and Louise were out adventuring nearby on his yacht (steam-powered, yacht) and ready for lunch, his onboard chef and trusted steward suddenly realized they forgot the dressing for the salad. So, the chef made a dressing with the ingredients he had on the boat and this became Thousand Island dressing.
History of Thousand Island dressing