Vinaigrette

For other uses, see Vinaigrette (disambiguation).

Vinaigrette (/vɪnəˈɡrɛt/) is a mixture (emulsion) of olive oil and vinegar, sometimes flavored with herbs, spices, and other ingredients. It is used most commonly as a salad dressing,^[1] but also as a cold sauce or marinade.

Name

Vinaigrette is the diminutive form of French “vinaigre” 'vinegar'. It is often translated as “French dressing”, particularly in British English.^[2]

Preparation

Vinaigrette generally consists of 3 parts of oil to 1 part of vinegar whisked into an emulsion. Salt and pepper are often added. Herbs and shallots are added, especially when it is used as a sauce for cooked vegetables, grains, and the like.^[3] Sometimes mustard is used as an emulsifier.

Varieties

Vinaigrette may be made with a variety of oils and vinegars. Olive oil and neutral vegetable oils are most common.

In northern France, it may be made with walnut oil and cider vinegar and used for Belgian endive salad.

In the United States, vinaigrettes may include a wide range of novelty additions such as lemons, truffles, raspberries, egg white, sugar, garlic and cherries. Cheese, often blue cheese, may also be added. Commercially bottled versions may include emulsifiers such as lecithin.

In Southeast Asia, rice bran oil and white vinegar are used as a foundation with fresh herbs, chili peppers, nuts, and lime juice.

Different vinegars, such as raspberry, create different flavourings, and lemon juice or alcohol, such as sherry, may be used instead of vinegar. Balsamic vinaigrette is made by adding a small amount of balsamic vinegar to a simple vinaigrette of olive oil and wine vinegar.

Uses

In classical French cuisine, a vinaigrette is used as a salad dressing, and, as a cold sauce, accompanies cold artichokes, asparagus, and leek.

Russian Vinaigrette

Russian Vinaigrette (Винегрет)

Vinaigrette (Винегрет) is also the name of a classic Russian salad made with this dressing. The salad consists of the dressing, beet, pickled cucumber, potatoes, carrot, and onion. Other ingredients, such as green peas or sauerkraut, are sometimes also added.^[4][5][6]

Despite its widespread popularity in Russia, the root of its origins may be in German or Scandinavian cuisine. An English cookbook from 1845, for example, had a recipe for a herring salad made of herring, beet, potatoes, egg whites, and apples, with a dressing made of oil, vinegar, and sour cream.^[7]

References

1. ^ BBC Good Food
2. ^ French dressing The Food Timeline
3. ^ Larousse Gastronomique, s.v. cold sauces
4. ^ Vinaigrette Recipe Russian Recipes
5. ^ Vinaigrette Recipe Natasha's Kitchen
6. ^ Vinaigrette Recipe Recipes Wiki
7. ^ Modern Cookery. 1845. http://www.seafoodfish.com/html/anexcellentherringsalad1845.html.