 Cranberry jello salad molded into a common ring shape | |
| Alternative names | Gelatin salad, jelly salad, congealed salad, molded salad |
|---|---|
| Type | Salad |
| Course | Dessert, side dish, snack |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Pennsylvania |
| Created by | Mrs. John E. Cook |
| Serving temperature | Chilled–room temperature |
| Main ingredients | Flavoredgelatin (oftengelatin dessert) andfruit |
| Variations | Adding gratedcarrots or other vegetables (aspic) |
Jello salad is an Americansalad made with flavoredgelatin,fruit, and sometimes gratedcarrots or (more rarely) othervegetables. Other ingredients may includecottage cheese,cream cheese,marshmallows,nuts, orpretzels. Jello salads were popular in the early 20th century and are now consideredretro.[1]
Because of its many elements, the result has speckled bits of interior color against a colored gelatin background, and so the dish can be appreciated for its colorful visual appeal. For example, a jello salad might have green from a lime-flavored gelatin, brown from nuts or pretzels, white from bits of cottage cheese, and red and orange fromfruit cocktail. Therefore, it has a "salad appearance" (small pieces of food) although it is held firm in gelatin (likeaspic). The "salad" theme is more pronounced in variants containingmayonnaise, or anothersalad dressing. When the dish has plain gelatin instead of sweetened gelatin, the use of vegetables is more common (e.g.tomatoaspic).
Early gelatin-based precursors to the jello salad included fruit and winejellies and decorativeaspic dishes, which were made with commercial or homemadegelatin. Gelatin was time-consuming to cook, and commercial gelatin was produced in shreds or strips until the late 19th century and needed to be soaked for a long time before use.[2] In 1894, theKnox Company produced the first commercial granulated gelatin, followed byJell-O a few years later.[3] The name "jello salad" is derived from thegenericization of the Jell-O brand name. The convenience of jello made gelatin-based dishes easier to prepare at home, compared to early jellies and aspics.
One of the earliest examples of jello salad is Perfection Salad, developed by Mrs. John E. Cook ofNew Castle, Pennsylvania in 1904. The original salad called for chopped cabbage, celery and red peppers in a plain aspic mold.[2] Perfection Salad won third prize in aBetter Homes and Gardens recipe contest and popularized the concept of the jello salad in the United States.[4] Jello acted as an easy and cheap addition to more labor-intensive or expensive recipes during theGreat Depression andWorld War II.[4] The release of lime-flavored Jell-O during the Great Depression heightened the popularity of savory jello salads.[5]
Jello salads were especially fashionable in the suburbs in the 1950s.[3] They were seen as a marker of sophistication, elegance and status, indicating that a housewife had time to prepare jello molds and that her family could afford a refrigerator.[6] In response to the mid-century popularity of jello salads, Jell-O released several savory flavors, including seasoned tomato and celery.[7]
Jello salad fell out of fashion in the 1960s and 70s. The rise ofJulia Child and the popularization ofFrench cooking in the United States made the jello salad appear less elegant, and dieting trends eventually turned against sugary food like Jell-O.[7][5] Jello salad is now most popular in rural areas of the upperMidwest and inUtah, where Jell-O is the official state snack.[6]
Jello salad can be either savory or sweet. Sweet jello salads commonly include fresh fruits,fruit cocktail, nuts,marshmallows andwhipped cream.[6][5] Savory jello salad ingredients include vegetables, olives, nuts, meat,seafood andboiled eggs, withtomato juice, lemon juice orvinegar added to the gelatin for flavoring.[4][5]
