 A dish of Italian dressing | |
| Type | Salad dressing ormarinade |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Water,vinegar orlemon juice,vegetable oil,bell peppers,sugar orcorn syrup,herbs andspices |
| Variations | Creamy Italian |
InAmerican cuisine,Italian dressing is avinaigrette-typesalad dressing that consists ofwater,vinegar orlemon juice,vegetable oil, choppedbell peppers,sugar orcorn syrup, herbs and spices (includingoregano,fennel,dill andsalt) and sometimesonion andgarlic. Thecreamy Italian variant addsmilk products and stabilizers.[1] Both dressings are often bought bottled or prepared by mixing oil and vinegar with a packaged flavoring mix consisting of dehydrated vegetables and herbs.
Despite its name, Italian dressing is not used in Italy, where salad is normally dressed witholive oil,vinegar orlemon juice, salt, and sometimesbalsamic vinegar at the table, and not with a premixed vinaigrette.[2] In North American cuisine, Italian dressing is also used as amarinade[3] for meat or vegetables, stir frys, andsandwiches.Pasta salads sometimes include Italian dressing.[4] The caloric content of Italian dressing varies widely.[5]
North American style Italian salad dressing is thought to date back to 1941 inFramingham, Massachusetts. Florence Hanna, the daughter of Italian immigrants and wife of restaurateur Ken Hanna, made large batches of her family's salad dressing for the house salads at the restaurant. The restaurant, originally called The '41 Cafe, later changed locations and became known as Ken's Steak House. The salad dressing became so popular that it was made in large vats in the basement of Ken's to keep up with demand. Customers started requesting the Italian dressing to go. The Crowley family, who owned a nearby manufacturing business, approached the Hanna family about bottling the popular salad dressing. This resulted in the creation ofKen's Salad Dressing, which now comes in ten different variations of Italian, as well as many other flavors.[6][7]
Italian salad dressing was served in Kansas City, Missouri, at the Wishbone Restaurant beginning in 1948. The Wishbone was opened in 1945 by Phillip Sollomi along with his mother, Lena.[8] The Italian dressing served at the Wishbone was based on a recipe from Lena Sollomi'sSicilian family which was a blend of oil, vinegar, herbs, and spices.[8] Demand for the salad dressing proved so high that Phillip started a separate operation to produce it for sale, making it by the barrel.[8] The dressing recipe was eventually purchased byLipton and has been made commercially by a succession of owners since, with theWish-Bone brand of products currently made byPinnacle Foods, Inc.[8][9][10]
Salad dressings | ||
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| Condiments | .jpg) | |
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