The Waldorf salad is a classic dish made with apples, celery, and walnuts dressed with mayonnaise. It was first served at the Waldorf Hotel in New York in 1894. Some variations include yogurt instead of mayo and dried fruit. It is best served chilled and prepared a few hours before eating.
A Waldorf salad is a savory salad made from apples, celery and walnuts dressed with mayonnaise. This iconic salad is on offer in restaurants around the world and can easily be made at home. Some health-conscious cooks use yogurt instead of mayonnaise for a slightly lower-fat version of Waldorf lettuce, though purists insist that mayo is king when it comes to Waldorf lettuce.
This salad is named after the hotel where it was first served in 1894. The Waldorf Hotel was a prestigious New York City hotel famous for its cuisine, and many other dishes including Eggs Benedict are sometimes attributed to the chefs of the Waldorf. Modern New York visitors know the Waldorf as the “Waldorf-Astoria Hotel,” after the name it acquired in the 1930s.
The original Waldorf salad included only apples and celery dressed with mayonnaise. The date of the introduction of walnuts is difficult to trace, but walnuts have become an integral part of salads. Some cooks also add dried fruit, usually raisins, and serve the salad on a bed of lettuce.
Typically, the apples used in a Waldorf salad have red skin, although some people prefer fresher, greener varieties such as Granny Smiths. The skin is always left on and the apples are julienned so that each piece has a small sliver of skin. The celery may be julienned or simply cut into small segments, depending on the cook’s taste, and the walnuts are usually chopped into chunks before being added to the dough. Some cooks also squeeze lemon juice over the fruit mix so the apples and celery don’t brown before adding mayonnaise and pepper to taste.
Waldorf salad is usually served chilled, both for food safety reasons and because the salad tastes more refreshing in cold weather. It’s a classic inclusion on summer salad menus, as people often enjoy crisp, cold salads in warm weather. Besides being served as an appetizer, Waldorf Salad can also serve as a light lunch or afternoon snack, as it can be quite filling, thanks to the rich combination of ingredients.
As a general rule, Waldorf salad should be prepared no more than a few hours before eating, to give it enough time to cool without allowing the ingredients to soften and become soggy. If Waldorf Salad is being brought to a potluck event, it’s a good idea to ask for refrigerator space for the salad so it can be brought in at the last minute, as room-temperature Waldorf Salad isn’t very appealing.
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