Waldorf salad is one of the most famous and most popular American salads, which enjoys worldwide popularity. This is no surprise, as it’s quick and easy to make, and can be easily amended, supplemented or presented in various ways. Here are some tips on how to make the perfect Waldorf salad.

The Origins

The Waldorf salad was first created between 1893-96 at New York’s Waldorf Hotel. It was made by  Oscar Tschirky, the head waiter of the hotel’s restaurant. The original recipe did not include walnuts, just apple & celery pieces were mixed with mayonnaise and served on lettuce leaves. Walnuts were added 35 years later to the dish, even though the typical or “classic” recipe today has it as one of the basic ingredients. In modern recipes other elements are added such as grapes, dried fruits, chicken or turkey and mayonnaise can be replaced by a more healthy yoghurt dressing.

How to make Waldorf Salad

The Waldorf salad is extremely easy to make. The ‘classic’ version requires apple, celery and walnuts, which is mixed with mayonnaise and served with crispy lettuce leaves. Here are some tips about the basics:

Mayonnaise:it gives the background to the recipe,  so its quality is essential. It’s best to use fresh and homemade mayonnaise, but these days we must watch out for raw eggs – preferably use organic, top-quality ones. Apple:it can be red or green apple, but the latter should not be too sour! It’s not necessary to peal the apples, and they can be cut in many ways – slices, wedges, cubes, disks etc. After cutting the apples up, squeeze some lemon juice over to stop them from getting brown. Nuts: the classic recipe uses walnuts but modern versions experiment with other nuts and seeds. Feel free to use your favourite nut!  Also, the nuts may be raw or slightly toasted, which adds a special flavour to the salad. Grapes:most of the modern recipes include grapes. These may be green, red or black – the latter two are the healthier option. The grapes are normally cut in half or into circles. Celery:make sure that the celery stalks are fresh, green and preferably thin. These are more crispy. The celery needs cutting into thin slices! Lettuce: according to the classic recipe this should be crispy – so Romaine or iceberg lettuce are ideal. More interesting and  more spectacular looking salads are made with rocket, watercress, baby spinach, chicory or radicchio. Other ingredients:modern versions can be made from other fruits as well. For example, liven your salad up with pomegranate seeds, dried fruits (raisins and sultanas are especially popular) or pineapple slices. Mayonnaise may be replaced or combined with yoghurt, kefir, cream, cream cheese, blue cheese etc.

Tips

• If you replace the mayonnaise with yoghurt – use natural Greek yoghurt or other live yoghurt.
• Don’t overdo the mayonnaise or yoghurt dressing!
• Since the Waldorf salad can be prepared in advance, it’s ideal for parties, picnics and events. It can also be presented beautifully so can be served as an attractive nibble at functions.
• The Waldorf salad is very popular in America during Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.  It goes well with roasts, leftovers and cold meats (especially roast turkey). In the summer it’s perfect with barbecued food. Lots of children seem to like it too!
• The salad can be stored in the refrigerator for several days. If you make it with low-fat yoghurt dressing, it should be eaten the same day, as the yoghurt will release water if stored any longer.
Allergies:these day you can make the salad to cope with most allergies e.g. you can get egg-free mayonnaise; soya yoghurt has no dairy and you can leave out the nuts &/or the celery.

Here are some interesting Waldorf salad recipe variations:

• Classic waldorf salad
• Chicken waldorf salad
• Waldorf salad with blue cheese dressing
• Healthy waldorf salad