Russian dressing is an American salad dressing consisting of mayonnaise and ketchup complemented with additional ingredients such as horseradish, pimentos, chives, mustard, and spices.
History Russian dressing is mentioned as early as 1900 in U.S. sources.Frederick, Maryland News March 24, 1900 5/3, quoted in the Oxford English Dictionary, Third Edition, March 2011 s.v. It is also documented in a 1910 catering book as an alternative to vinaigrette for dressing tomatoes or asparagus.Charles Fellows, The Menu Maker, The Hotel Monthly Press, 1910, p. 114 A 1913 cookbook has a recipe which is a vinaigrette with paprika and mustard.Margaret McHale, The C.W.C. Cook Book, Catholic Women's Club, 1913, p. 76 A mayonnaise-based recipe is documented in 1914.Clearfield, Pennsylvania Progress, 7 May 1914, p. 10, as quoted in Barry Popik's blog entry of 28 November 2006 The condiment came to be called "Russian" since the original recipe included caviar, a staple of Russian cuisine.
Local historians claim that the mayonnaise-based version was invented in Nashua, New Hampshire, by James E. Colburn in the 1910s. A 1927 biographical article calls him "the originator and first producer of that delectable condiment known as Russian salad dressing". Colburn had been selling "Colburn's Mayonnaise salad dressing" at his store since at least 1910."Local Mention", Nashua Telegraph, 6 May 1910, p. 10
By 1914, Colburn's company was manufacturing it, "for over sixteen years" and distributing it to retailers and hotels. He earned enough from its sale to retire in 1924.
Preparation Russian dressing is typically made from a blend of mayonnaise and ketchup complemented with such additional ingredients as horseradish, pimentos, chives, mustard, and spices.
Uses Besides being used as a salad dressing, Russian dressing is used as a spread for Reuben sandwiches.
Related sauces In the United States, Russian dressing has largely been supplanted by Thousand Island dressing, which is sweeter and less spicy than Russian.
Other combinations of mayonnaise and ketchup, but without the spicy ingredients, are known as fry sauce or other names, and typically served with French fries or tostones.
In Australia, sauce made from mayonnaise and ketchup is called "cocktail sauce" and is used to dress prawns/shrimp in prawn cocktail.
Tartar sauce has similar ingredients as Russian dressing, but without the ketchup. It is typically served with fried fish.
Marie Rose sauce is similar to Russian dressing, but with different ingredients. It is typically served with seafood.
A variant known as red Russian dressing is very much like Catalina or French dressing.
In Germany and Italy, a similar salad dressing is called "American dressing". Sometimes in Italy it is also called a "burger sauce" or "burger dressing".
In Russia, a similar ketchup-and-mayonnaise sauce is colloquially known as "ketchunez" (Russian: кетчунез).
References
External links Historical definitions and recipes for Russian dressing