Olivier Salad (Салат Оливье)

It’s hard to imagine any Soviet or post-Soviet Russian holiday table without Olivier salad. The salad was invented by Lucien Olivier, a French chef at one of the fanciest restaurants in the mid-19th century St. Petersburg and quickly became a signature dish for the entire restaurant attracting huge crowds. Naturally, Olivier tried his best to keep his recipe a secret. He measured and mixed the ingredients alone behind closed doors until one afternoon his trusted Russian assistant had a brilliant idea. He arranged for Lucien to be called away, snuck into the secret room, and stole the recipe!

The traitor then eloped to Moscow, renamed the salad, and lived happily every after. To this day, this salad is served outside of Russia under this new name, Stolichniy. Sometimes it’s also called Russian salad. After the salad recipe was stolen, it got simplified for various reason, including the availability of the ingredients to the undersupplied Soviet population.

Sadly, the secret of the original salad has been lost. Olivier returned to France, a sad old man bitterly disappointed in life, so he took the recipe to his grave. So, what could have been his secret?

Some believe the key was the dressing, because many other ingredients varied with seasons. These days, the exact recipe is left to the chef’s imagination. There are a few key ingredients that make this salad recognizable as “Olivier”: cubed potatoes, green canned peas, carrots, pickles, onions, eggs, mayo, and meat, typically bologna. The exact ratios of the ingredients are not very important in the grand scheme of things (although many chefs probably stick to a specific recipe they believe is the best).

You can use any kind of meat, even some leftovers (yuck!): Beef, chicken, or sausage; poached, smoked, or roasted… Or, you can try it the Imperial Russia’s way: grouse meat, smoked duck and crayfish tails. That’s what rumors say the great Oliver himself mixed into his salad.

Today, because of its huge popularity among ex-Soviets and modern-day Russians, this salad is probably a concept and a symbol as much as it is a dish based on a specific recipe.

Besides being a staple on the holiday table, a bowl of Olivier salad serves another traditional role: It’s a landing pad for the face of a drunk guest at New Year’s party.

Olivier salad can also be a source of food poisoning when it’s served too soon and left on the table at room temperature for hours on end. To avoid that fate, add mayo to the salad right before serving and keep it in the fridge until your hungry guests are ready to enjoy it. Keep excess salad in the fridge and bring it out as necessary.

And now, here’s a drunken-face-friendly recipe of the Soviet Olivier salad:

Ingredients

• 1 lb. bologna or
• 1 lb. chicken breast
• 3 eggs
• 2 medium-sized potatoes
• 1 large carrot
• 3 small whole dill pickles
• ½ small sweet onion
• 1 (one) 12-oz. can of sweet peas
• 6 tbsp. mayonnaise or sour cream. Olive oil-based mayonnaise enhances the flavor.
• Salt to taste
• Parsley for decoration

Method