Dietitian-n-da-Kitchen: NORTHERN NOSH! SNN: Waldorf Salad

I grew up eating Waldorf Salad in the south so naturally I assumed that it originated at some luncheon in Mississippi or something. But much to my surprise, it doesn`t! This side dish gets its name from the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in Manhattan and was created in the late 1800s by Oscar Tschirky. He himself was not a chef, but rather the maitre d'hotel (a fancy name for the head waiter or host). It has become modernized and reinvented again and again over the years, but I do believe the base ingredients for the original Waldorf Salad were mayonnaise, sugar, lemon juice, raisins, apples, and celery.

I think it`s important when looking for diversity in diets to not only look outside your country of origin, but also inside! I`m a born and bred Southerner, but stepping out of the foodie box I grew up in wasn`t hard for me. One of the cooks that I work with is from Jersey. He calls me "Boss Lady" and I call him "Yankee". The things he grew up eating and liking are completely different from my own. When it comes to foods, there is definitely a distinction between the North and the South, the East and the West of the USA. However, the awesome thing about modern cuisine is that it`s okay to blend food origins and roots! Combining dishes or adding touches of your own dietary background to a dish from another region brings unity.

The Waldorf I make uses vanilla Greek yogurt instead of sweetened mayo or sour cream, as many recipes do. I`m pretty much repulsed by mayo and try to avoid it if at all possible. I also used red grapes, not raisins. See if you like....