Competitors tried to reproduce the original recipe many times, but without knowing all the ingredients, they invariably failed.
In France, our favorite salad is known as “Russian salad.” It was named “Olivier” in honor of the French chef Lucien Olivier, who prepared it in his famous restaurant “Hermitage” on Trubnaya Square in Moscow in the 19th century.
The building that housed the restaurant has survived to this day — it is located at 14 Petrovsky Boulevard, at the corner with Neglinnaya. “Hermitage” impressed guests with its white columns, crystal chandeliers, private booths, and luxurious interiors. The young Frenchman prepared dishes of French cuisine in his restaurant that he had known since childhood.
The success was aided by a unique recipe for mayonnaise from the Olivier family, which included mustard and several “secret” spices, giving the sauce a slightly sharp taste. The Frenchman guarded his secret so carefully that he always made the mayonnaise alone in a special room behind closed doors.
Like any great chef, Lucien Olivier did not stop at his achievements and created a new salad that appealed to the sophisticated Moscow public. Visitors named this dish after its creator — “Olivier Salad.” Since then, the name Olivier has become a household name.
Competitors tried to reproduce the original recipe many times, but without knowing all the ingredients, they invariably failed — the taste of the real “Olivier Salad” could only be appreciated at the “Hermitage” restaurant.
Initially, the dish included boiled woodcock and partridges, layered with jelly made from broth. Pieces of beef tongue and boiled crayfish tails were arranged around the edges. All of this was dressed with the signature mayonnaise. The decoration consisted of a mound of potatoes with gherkins, slices of boiled quail eggs, and caviar.
However, one day Lucien noticed that guests, when ordering this dish, immediately mixed all the ingredients, ignoring the decorations, and eagerly consumed the resulting mass. The enterprising Frenchman mixed all the components and dressed them with his mayonnaise. Thus, the famous salad was born, which became the hallmark of Russian cuisine, having undergone a long journey and transformed from an exquisite dish into the banal “Game Salad.”
It is under this name that its simplified recipe is presented in the “Book of Tasty and Healthy Food,” which was in every Soviet household. The main principle of “chop everything and dress with mayonnaise” became widespread in the Soviet and post-Soviet space, spawning numerous variations on the theme of the famous salad.
Woodcock was replaced with chicken meat, and then simply with sausage. Instead of crayfish tails, carrots began to be added. Capers were replaced with green peas, and lettuce leaves with parsley. Onion was included in the salad, which immediately gave it a sharp taste. Calf's tongue and caviar completely disappeared from the recipe. Nevertheless, Olivier salad survived in difficult conditions and remains a symbol of celebration for most of us.
