- French dressing
French Dressing is a term used in Britain and the U.S. in particular, to describe the most common
salad dressing in France: thevinaigrette , and its many variations. The dressing is generally accepted to be a type ofvinaigrette but often includes different ingredients. It seems one of the few countries where the term is not used isFrance , where thissalad dressing is only ever referred to as avinaigrette .History
The term "French Dressing", to describe vinaigrette, became popular in Britain and the USA in the 1880s, and as
salads increased in popularity, many different variations of thecondiment emerged. New variations continue to emerge.Interpretations
UK
The British French Dressing is more varied than the American version, and the ingredients differ depending on taste. Most common recipes contain
olive oil and white orred wine vinegar orlemon juice as a base and can often containsalt ,sugar , pepper, mustard, andgarlic . There is no set manufactured French dressing recipe and companies often make several different types of dressing to suit different tastes.United States
In the
United States of America , French dressing is a type ofsalad dressing , also called Catalina dressing, containingsugar andtomato ketchup . This French dressing can be "white" or "red" and is essentially avinaigrette . It is often sold bottled in the U.S.In the United States "French dressing" is almost always a reddish orange color (never true red, never white). It is not "essentially a vinaigrette," it is a homogenized, pureed, uniform viscous sauce with a tangy sweet flavor and no bits of herbs, spices, or anything else floating in it (as is typical of French vinaigrettes). It is generally made from vegetable oil, vinegar, ketchup (or tomato puree), water, paprika, other spices, and sweeteners, all thoroughly blended. Those from outside the U.S. may best picture its appearance and consistency as a very high quality interior house paint the color of terra cotta.External links
* [http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodfaq1.html Food Timeline]
* [http://recipes.epicurean.com/combo_results.jsp?recipe_type=Dressing&cultural_type Dressing Recipes]
* [http://www.madehow.com/Volume-6/Salad-Dressing.html Dressing History]
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
