Popular At Potlucks In The 1960s, This Carrot Salad Is A Rare Side Dish These Days

Old dishes from the 1960s don't have the best reputation today, but sometimes you can find a rare one that surprises you with its appealing simplicity. Think of how quickly you can whip up an ambrosia salad because people were all about feeding a crowd while dealing with a hundred other things. Prioritizing speed and convenience can sometimes create issues in the taste or visual appeal department (take a look at the 1950s tuna and waffles dinner if you dare), but some unexpected combos just work — say a carrot and raisin salad. 

A rare side dish these days, carrot and raisin salad is an old-school Southern classic from the 1960s and '70s that was a potluck favorite, and the combo isn't as unusual as it sounds at first. Made with a very basic mayo-sugar dressing, it's essentially a carrot coleslaw with sweet, plump raisins added for some sweetness. That mix of crunchy, creamy, and sweet is the same basic contrast behind a standard Southern coleslaw. 

It was a common enough recipe back in the day that Chick-fil-A even had it as a side dish for decades, though it was allegedly discontinued due to low sales. "No one bought it. We probably sold 1-2 per day," wrote a Redditor who claimed they worked at the chain. A potential lack of interest in the salad and the introduction of other salads are likely why carrot and raisin isn't a popular potluck dish anymore. However, if you see the appeal in its freshness and simplicity, the core formula requires only five ingredients: carrots, raisins, mayo, sugar, and an acid, plus salt.

There are only a few basic choices you need to make when whipping up the salad. The first is whether you want to go with grated carrots or do a little more work for the extra crunch of thin carrot matchsticks. The latter will stand up to the mayo better, and you can sometimes find them precut. The raisins are often added straight to the salad, but you can also soften your raisins by letting them plump in hot water or microwave with orange juice to give them a more tender texture in contrast to the carrots. Apple cider vinegar and lemon juice are the most common acids to add, and you only need one of them. 

Finally, you can add a small amount of granulated sugar, honey, or other sweetener, but the salad doesn't need much, and you can even leave it out if the natural sweetness of the carrots and raisins is enough for you. Simply mix the mayo with the acid and sweetener, seasoned to taste with salt, and toss with the carrots and raisins.

Carrot raisin salad is also easy to add to and mix up. One popular addition is that other 1960s potluck staple: canned pineapple chunks, which was actually part of the Chick-fil-A recipe. You can also go a little more tart with peeled clementine slices instead. You'll even find the occasional suggestion to add shredded coconut. If you want more crunch, especially if using grated carrots instead of matchsticks, you can also add nuts. Slivered almonds, peanuts, and pistachios all work well. But give the increasingly rare original a try to start.