Potato Salad History
Potatoes (a new world food) were introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers in the 16th century. By the end of the century many countries had adopted this new vegetable and integrated it into their cuisines. Preparation methods and recipes were developed according to local culinary traditions. About potato history.
Arnold Shircliffe, executive chef of Chicago's legendary Edgewater Beach Hotel, traced the origin of the potato salad to the 16th century. These are his notes:
"Early potato salad: John Gerrard in 1597 writes about potatoes and their virtues and said that "they are sometimes boiled and sopped in wine, by others boiled with prunes, and likewise others dress them (after roasting them in the ashes) in oil, vinegar and salt, every man according to his own taste. However they be dressed, they comfort, nourish and strengthen the body." This is one of the first potato salads mentioned in any book."
Potato salad-type recipes were introduced to America by European settlers, who again adapted traditional foods to local ingredients. This accounts for regional potato salad variations in the United States. Potato salad, as we know it today, became popular in the second half of the 19th century. Cold potato salads evolved from British and French recipes. Warm potato salads followed the
German preference for hot vinegar and bacon dressings served over vegetables.
Print evidence confirms recipes for potato salads were often included in 19th century American cooking texts. These recipes had many different names. The Cassells Dictionary of Cookery [London:1875?] contains three recipes for potato salad, one without notes [presumably British or American], a French recipe and a German recipe.The French recipe is very similar to the first and is also served cold. The German recipe required bacon. Early cold potato salad recipes often called for "French dressing" (Our notes on French dressing here ). Some recipes specifically indicate this is an economy dish, "a good way to dispose of leftover potatoes." During the 1940s mayonnaise began to supplant French dressing as the congealer of choice. It is interesting to note that during both World Wars recipes for German-style potato salad did not bear that country's moniker. They were simply listed as "hot potato salad."
This is is what the food writers have to say:
"Potato salad. A cold or hot side dish made with potatoes, mayonnaise, and seasonings. It became very popular in the second half of the nineteenth century and is a staple of both home and food-store kitchens. Hot potato salad, usually made with bacon, onion, and vinegar dressing, was associated with German immigrants and therefore often called "German potato salad."
---Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, John F. Mariani [Lebhar-Friedman:New York] 1999 (p. 253)
There seems to be no dogma concerning the origins of potato salad, but Germany is a good place to begin. As a country with lots of potatoes and lots of recipes for potatoes, Germany almost certainly was among the first to look at cooked small new potatoes or cut chunks of larger spuds and imagine them blanketed with dressing. The dressing they came up with was a classic. Kin to the heated dressing used to wilt spinach salad, this one thrilled German taste buds, raised as they were on sauerkraut and sauerbraten with vinegar bite. Some versions featured a little coarse mustard, others cut the sour with a little sugar, and most added bacon and even its flavorful drippings. By the time the notion of potato salad reached France, vinegar wasn't quite good enough. The French demanded full-scale vinaigrette, and it was no sweat to satisfy their demands. Whenever you see something called "French potato salad," it's a safe bet you're in for potatoes (and probably other vegetables, too) in a light vinaigrette, with Dijon mustard and sweet tarragon.
When potato salad caught on in the United States, in the second half of the 19th century, it was probably by way of German immigrants. To this day, most people who know how to cook, or at least know how to eat, understand that "German potato salad" will be served warm, will feature no mayonnaise, and will be pleasantly tart with vinegar.The American idea of making potato salad with mayonnaise has no recorded history - but then again, neither does the idea of mayonnaise itself. Clearly a sauce created in France using egg yolks, oil and either lemon juice or vinegar, little is clear after that. Virtually every French bible of cuisine explains the name differently, ranging from a link to "Magon," the Carthaginian general who helped his brother Hannibal battle the Romans," to a possible misspelling of "Bayonnaise," hailing from the town of Bayonne in France - and later, less romantically, New Jersey.
However it got the name, mayonnaise became the favored dressing for American potato salad for more "There seems to be no dogma concerning the origins of potato salad, but Germany is a good place to begin. As a country with lots of potatoes and lots of recipes for potatoes, Germany almost certainly was among the first to look at cooked small new potatoes or cut chunks of larger spuds and imagine them blanketed with dressing. The dressing they came up with was a classic. Kin to the heated dressing used to wilt spinach salad, this one thrilled German taste buds, raised as they were on sauerkraut and sauerbraten with vinegar bite. Some versions featured a little coarse mustard, others cut the sour with a little sugar, and most added bacon and even its flavorful drippings. By the time the notion of potato salad reached France, vinegar wasn't quite good enough. The French demanded full-scale vinaigrette, and it was no sweat to satisfy their demands. Whenever you see something called "French potato salad," it's a safe bet you're in for potatoes (and probably other vegetables, too) in a light vinaigrette, with Dijon mustard and sweet tarragon.
When potato salad caught on in the United States, in the second half of the 19th century, it was probably by way of German immigrants. To this day, most people who know how to cook, or at least know how to eat, understand that "German potato salad" will be served warm, will feature no mayonnaise, and will be pleasantly tart with vinegar.The American idea of making potato salad with mayonnaise has no recorded history - but then again, neither does the idea of mayonnaise itself. Clearly a sauce created in France using egg yolks, oil and either lemon juice or vinegar, little is clear after that. Virtually every French bible of cuisine explains the name differently, ranging from a link to "Magon," the Carthaginian general who helped his brother Hannibal battle the Romans," to a possible misspelling of "Bayonnaise," hailing from the town of Bayonne in France - and later, less romantically, New Jersey. However it got the name, mayonnaise became the favored dressing for American potato salad for more than a century. Its sweet, creamy mouthfeel served up just the right delight when wrapped around solid, dependable American potatoes."
---"A world of potato salads; Labor Day tradition gets global makeover," John DeMers, The Houston Chronicle, August 29, 2001 (Food: p. 1)
"Despite its popularity in this country, potato salad is not an all-American creation. Potato salad is said to be of Teutonic origin, prepared when boiled potatoes were tossed with oil, vinegar and seasonings, a dish known now as German potato salad. The French, Norwegians, Swedes, Russians and Italians all have their own versions. Germans make a marvelous warm potato salad to which they add tiny bits of fresh tomato and red and green bell peppers, then toss the whole concoction with a warm bacon and onion dressing. The Greeks also prefer warm potato salad, with garlic, olive oil and lemon. Italian potato salad is apt to have ample amounts of fresh parsley, often chunks of salami and is dressed with an olive oil and vinegar dressing. American potato salad is heavier and heartier than European versions. Some people like lots of additions such as onion, sweet pickles, celery, hard-cooked eggs, pimento, chives, olives and parsley."
FOOD TIME LINE
This is one of our familys potato salads. We have two versions one with mayonnaise and this one... as i stay away from mayonnaise i have made this on request for my cousins party tonight.There are a million German Potato Salad recipes and they are only slightly different from one another.. here is the family recipe that my mom uses and i guess my grandma too... Most north americans only know a warm or hot german potato salad for some reason - yes we do eat it that way but most germans enjoy there potato concotion at roomtemperature... Maybe you give this recipe a twirl...
Enjoy AlissaGerman Potato Salad (warm or cold)
8 medium potatoes1 cup bacon cut in tiny cubes1 large onion finely chopped1 large apple finely cubed6-8 baby gherkins finely sliced1 1/2 tbsp sugar1 tsp salt1 1/2 cup beef broth1/2 tsp celery seeds1/2 tbsp dijon mustardfreshly ground pepper1/4 cup cider or rice vinegara bunch of chives finely chopped as decoration
Scrub the potatoes and cook them in their jackets till tender but not overcooked. Peel them and cut them in slices.Cook the bacon cubes in a skillet on medium heat, stirr occasionally, until tender. Stir in onions, apples, celery seed, sugar, salt and pepper cook over low heat. Add vinegar and beef broth- Remove from heat and let cool down.Put potaotslices in a big bowl and add the broth mix. Now you mix the salad carefully and add the gherkins and Mustard. Mix wel without smashing the potatoes. Let sit over night in the fridge. Before servinge bring to room temperature and taste to liking. Halloheute ein triviales aber dennoch leckeres Rezept aus dem Familienrezeptheft.Kartoffelsalat war für mich immer ein Vorfreude und "besonderes" Essen weil das gab es an Heiligabend mit Frankfurtern, an Geburstagsfesten oder Grillparties und als kleines Kind war das eine Besonderheit. Heute machen wir Ihn imme rnoch nicht so häufig aber wenn es ihn gibt schlagen wir alle beherzt zu...Ich glaube jede europäische aber auch amerikanische Familie hat Ihr eigenes natürlich bestes Kartoffelsalat Rezept. Meine koreanische Gastmutter hatte eine Variante mit viel Obst und Wurst und diese hatte sie dann in einen Sandwich gepackt und das war dann unter anderem in meiner riesigen Lucnhbox... asiatische Lunchboxen sind ein TRAUM - der Geschmack des Salates war am Anfang sehr gewöhnungsbedürftig für mich vorallem da sehr fettig mit Hellmanns Mayo - Sie war aber so stolz darauf und wollte mir eine Freude machen weil für sie war Kartoffelsalat der Inbegriff westlichen Essens. Am Ende mochte ich in ziemlich gerne und neulich dachte ich noch... was hat sie da alles reingepackt.. sollte ich nohcmals probieren. Wenn ich das Rezept finde werde ich es bloggen - rein aus nostalgischen Gründen.Der Hauptstreitpunkt des Kartoffelsalates ist wohl immer noch darf er mit oder ohne Mayonnaise zubereitet werden? Was sagt Ihr dazu??Ich habe zwei Familienrezepte eines aus Kanada und das andere aus Deutschland. Hier heute meine Variante - Laktosefrei und Eifrei. Es ist dem meiner Mutter sehr nahe und meine Schwester verwendet ein ähnliches Rezept. Eine weitere sehr leckere frische Variante ist mit feingeschnittenem Endiviensalat (ohne Cornichons und Äpfeln) - den habe ich im Badischen öfters gegessen und geliebt.Meinen Salat habe ich gestern Abend für meine Cousine vorbereitet. Dort wird heute Geburtstag gefeiert und da sie schon diverse moderne und mediterrane Salate bekommt habe ich mich dafür entschieden.Kartoffelsalat8 mittlere Salatkartoffeln, gekocht und in feine Scheiben geschnitten1 Tasse Speckwürfel1 Apfel gewürfelt1 große Zwiebel fein gewürfelt6 Cornichons in feine Scheiben geschnitten500 ml Rinderkraftbrühe1/2 Teelöffel Selleriesamen1 EL Zucker1/4 Tasse Apfelessig oder Reisessig1 EL TafelsenfSalz und frisch gemahlener Pfefferetwas Schnittlauch als DekoSalatkartoffeln, schrubben und in reichlich Salzwasser gar kochen. Die Kartoffeln pellen, in Scheiben schneiden und in eine große Salatschüssel geben und mit der warmen Fleischbrühe oder Gemüsebrühe übergiessen und zur Seite stellen.In einem kleinen Topf den Speck anbraten und die gebratenen Speckwürfel rausnehmen, Den Topf bitte nicht spülen - den brauchen wir noch! Auf einem Küchenkrepp abtropfen. Den Speck zu den Kartoffeln geben. In dem Topf in dem Speckfett die Zwiebeln anbraten, die Äpfel hinzufügen, den Essig, Zucker und alle Gewürze. etwas einköcheln und ebenfalls zu dem Kartoffelsalat geben. Vorsichtig unterheben, den Senf hinzufügen sowie die Gürkchen und mischen ohne die Kartoffelscheiben zu beschädigen. Den Salat über Nacht im Kühlschrank durchziehen lassen. Vor dem Servieren auf zimmertemperatur bringen, abschmecken und mit Schnittlauch bestreuen.
