FOOD NEWS
The Original Waldorf Salad Dressing Was Incredibly Simple
BY STEPHANIE FRIEDMAN
The Waldorf salad originated at the swanky Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York City, and though this salad is more complicated today, the dressing was originally very simple.
The earliest Waldorf dressing was just mayo, salt, and pepper, and the original recipe called for the salad to simply “be dressed with a good mayonnaise.”
The other ingredients were also extremely simple. The Waldorf’s maître d' Oscar Tschirky created the first Waldorf salad with just apples, celery, and the mayo.
Modern cooks have taken liberties with Waldorf salad by making the mayo in the dressing with walnut oil, or replacing the mayo with whipped cream or sour cream.
In 2011, the Waldorf Hotel’s executive chef even put his own twist on the salad with a crème fraiche, Dijon mustard, champagne vinegar, egg yolk, and white truffle oil dressing.