The actual dressing was invented by a fishing guide from the small resort of clayton in northern new york named george lalonde, jr. Because of this, many restaurants just serve their reuben sandwiches with thousand island dressing, since they often already have it on hand. In those days a popular fishing guide named george lalonde, jr. Were talking about the origin of thousand island dressing. I serve this wonderful thousand island dressing with salads, spread on sandwiches especially reuben sandwiches, and seafood. Why do they call it that thousand island dressing news wfmz. Thousand islands dressing history thousand islands. Three versions of the origin of thousand island dressing. Made from bits of green olives, peppers, pickles, onions, hardboiled eggs and other finely chopped ingredients, this chunky dressing is said to commemorate the thousand islands in the saint lawrence river. So, using whatever he had onboard, he quickly whipped up a concoction of mayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, worcestershire sauce and one. It was the best of dressings, it was the worst of dressings. This is the trailer from the 2012 documentary, the mysterious origin of thousand island dressing, produced by syracuse filmmakers eric j. Our response district is 154 square miles of mostly rural terrain and encompasses a large portion of the st. While both versions take place in upstate new york, each party recalls it a bit differently.
Why do they call it that thousand island dressing news. Homemade thousand island dressing recipe culinary hill. After sifting through a number of sources, this is my best guess. Thousand island dressing was named in honor of the beautiful area where it was first prepared, thousand islands, new york. The official origin of the only salad dressing ever named for a region of the united states. Its thick, delicious, and perfect on your next salad. The history of island dressing dates back to the early days of the 20th century, and centers in the small resort village of clayton, new york. The story of thousand island dressing most common version. It takes minutes to put together, and once you try this homemade version, youll never want storebought again.
Thousand island dressing definition of thousand island. Some of you might say, well, isnt it from thousand islands. Great big story goes behind the scenes to learn the real origin story of the tangysweet thousand island salad dressing. The journey to a creamy tuna salad starts with thousand island dressing and mayowith some crunchy celery and onions to make the trip more interesting. However, several different versions of the dressings origin exist. According to the oxford companion to american food and drink, the dressings name comes from the thousand islands region, located along the upper st.
Whether you call it russian dressing, island, or thousand island. Thousand island dressing 1916 presumably is named for the. Thousand island dressing recipe food network kitchen. According to the oxford companion of food and drink, the name for thousand island dressing presumably comes from the thousand islands between the united states and canada in the st. The names russian dressing and thousand island dressing tend to be used interchangeably nowadays. History of the original thousand island salad dressing. Russian dressing and thousand island dressing are often confused because both begin with a base of mayonnaise and ketchup or ketchupstyle chili sauce, which results in a pink salad dressing.
Boldt was not busy managing one of his luxurious hotels, he enjoyed. Use this delicious twist on the classic secret sauce as a dip, sauce, or salad dressing. Chef and food historian ben davison says there are lots of variations on thousand island dressing. The conflicting origins of thousand island dressing. Despite having one place of origin that is, the thousand islands region of upstate new york, there have been differing legends on who really. Homemade russian dressing for the classic reuben sandwich. Oscar tschirsky was the steward, or maitre d, at the waldorfastoria hotel in new york city. Butter lettuce salad with pickled sugar snap peas and. Place dressing in a covered container and refrigerate for several hours, stirring occasionally, so that the sugar dissolves and the flavors blend. Thousand islands emergency rescue service is the 911 ambulance service provider for the towns of clayton and orleans in jefferson county, new york. It may also have been concocted by his wife, sylvia lalonde. The homemade version of this dressings got a few neat tricks up its sleeve including a hardboiled egg used as a thickener. One day, early in the 1900s, tschirsky was serving as steward on boldts yacht as it cruised out of clayton. This is the most dramatic thousand island dressing origin story, but it may not be true.
Thousand island dressing buy the original salad dressing, originated in the islands, in clayton, new york in the early 1900s. Thousand island dressing is one of the most popular salad dressings. Consisting of mayonnaise, ketchup, relish, and seasonings, thousand island is one of the classic salad dressings, but theres a lot of confusion. History of salad dressings the association for dressings. This homemade thousand island dressing recipe comes together in 5 minutes with just 5 ingredients. Homemade thousand island dressing is so easy to make and so good. Two theories about how thousand island dressing came to be.
The original thousand island dressing has been featured 34 times on the travel channels taste of america series with mark decarlo, twice on cbs sunday morning with martha teichner and most recently on mysteries at the museum in march, 2017. How to make classic thousand island dressing kitchn. Homemade island dressing home in the finger lakes. Watch the video below featuring claytons thousand islands inn and boldt castle in the thousand islands. The origin of islands dressing the origin of island dressing is related to george boldt, onetime manager of the prestigious waldorfastoria hotel in new york city, and owner of the bellevuestratford in philadelphia. This is especially true when it comes to the oftmaligned classic, thousand island dressing yes, i mean that pink dressing on the salad bar in the giant squeeze bottle. There are at least three versions of the origins of thousand island dressing. Syracuse filmmakers explore origins of thousand island dressing.
History of the original thousand island salad dressing the history of the dressing dates back to the early days of the last century in the small resort village of clayton, n. Homemade thousand island dressing recipe simply whisked. Try it on your favorite salad or use it on a reuben sandwich. I love making my own salad dressings and this homemade thousand island dressing is no exception. In 1972, local fishing guide allen benas purchased the historic herald hotel in clayton, new york which he. Mayonnaise is the base, then a tomato sauce and outside of that, anything goes. Alan benas, the former owner of the thousand islands inn, believed that he was the creator, while hotelier george boldt claimed it was his chef who came up with the idea. The result is braised pork ribs and youll want to try them tonight. I really wanted to make my own 1,000 island dressing this year. The story of how thousand island dressing that creamysweet saladand. Thousand island dressing was named for the thousand island region of upstate new york, where the dressing originated. Story goes, in the early 20th century, a fishing guides wife, sophie. Thinking on his feet, he mixed together what he could find in the galleymayonnaise, ketchup, pickle relish, and worcestershire sauceand thousand island dressing was born. The actual dressing was invented by a fishing guide from the small resort of clayton in.
Almost from the beginning, the story is a muddled mess of players all claiming credit, so the story you hear depends on who you ask. Thousand island dressing recipe, whats cooking america. Did you know that the big mac sauce is even a variation on this dressing. Three versions of the origin of thousand island dressing syracuse.
Authentic thousand island dressing is a tangy, sweet, creamy concoction of fresh ingredients, including onions, sweet pepper, and even a hardboiled egg. Davison, who is a doctoral candidate at the university of virginia. Both legends end with thousand island dressing ending up on the menu of the waldorfastoriaby way of george boldt himself in the first one and. But citizens of alexandria bay say thousand island dressing was created by a chef of george boldts while boating in the area on. Thousand island dressing definition, a seasoned mayonnaise, often containing chopped pickles, pimientos, sweet peppers, hardboiled eggs, etc. Thousand island dressing has an overabundance of origin stories. Its the glue that holds the whole thing together and gives you the distinct flavor that is so crucial to this sandwich. Alissa was so horny she couldnt wait to eat out her girlfriend. Well, it supposedly gets its name from the thousand islands region, which is a group of. But, russian dressing was the staple that made the sandwich famous. Early 20th century broadway star may irwin seems to have a connection to all of them. This post may contain affiliate links, but dont worry they wont bite. Thousand islands emergency rescue service tiers clayton.
Plus, enjoy a 50% discount on the 60 minute documentary tracing the mysterious origin of thousand island dressing, broadcast nationwide by pbs, with this exclusive dvd offer from the shows producers which has made it. Its a salad dressing and condiment, sometimes used on a reuben sandwich if youre not using russian dressing. The salt the dressing, a mix of ketchup, mayo and some other stuff, is the subject of rival origin stories. Authentic thousand island dressing recipe the good. Lawrence seaway and lake ontario, is a popular spot for fishermen and hunters and for other tourists. The key to both the rachel and the reuben is the thousand island dressing. You will never want to buy that bottled stuff again once you taste this outstanding thousand island dressing. It was invented in the resorts in the thousand island area of the most. There was no general indoeuropean word for thousand.