Russian Dressing

• In a mortar and pestle mash 1 tbsp finely chopped onion to make a paste.
• Mix 1 cup of mayonnaise, ¼ cup of tomato ketchup, 4 tbsp of bottled horseradish, 1tbsp of hot sauce, 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce and ¼ tsp of sweet paprika in a medium-sized bowl to make a smooth paste.
• Add the mashed onions to the bowl and mix it with the other ingredients to make a pink colored smooth paste dressing.
• Add salt to taste and mix it well along the dressing.
• Russian dressing is ready for use. You may store the dressing in an airtight container and refrigerate it for 2 weeks.

Trivia

Did you know Russian dressing has no association with Russia! This is originally an American salad dressing which was invented in New Hampshire, America. This dressing has been mentioned in various American sources which is dated back to early 1900. No usage of Russian dressing has been found in any traditional or modern Russian cuisine so far.

The name of this American salad dressing may be inspired by a Russian sauce which has similar pink texture and prepared by using mayonnaise, caviar and mashed coral obtained from the lobster. The coral gives the sauce a pinkish tone. However, this idea is just a speculation. As per New England Historical Society, Russian dressing was invented in Nashua by James E. Colburn, around 1910.