Chef salad is a true staple of American cuisine. And we're here to tell you all about it.
First, let's take a look at the main ingredients. Usually, these are hard-boiled eggs, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, and meat. The result? - A big juicy combination of deliciousness!
Also, the choice of meat may vary but typically it's some of the following:
In addition, as if things couldn't get any tastier, different types of dressings could be put on top.
As you may have guessed by now, Chef salad is a main course. So, if you're deciding on what to have for lunch next, we got your answer.
The origin of this classic salad isn't exactly clear.
On the one hand, there's the belief that it's tied to the salmagundi. That is a meat salad from the 1600s that was invented in England and made prominent in America. On the other hand, some believe that it originated in the United States in the early 1900s.
Still, the most popular claim is that Chef salad was invented by Louis Diat during the 1940s in New York. At the time, he was working as a chef at Ritz-Carlton.
Louis presented his Chef salad recipe in his cookbook called "Cooking a la Ritz." It consisted of lettuce, chicken julienne, smoked ham and ox tongue, hard-boiled eggs, watercress, and French dressing. Once Diat's salad made it to the Ritz-Carlton menu, its popularity started to raise with the customers.
Furthermore, there is yet another person connected to the origin of Chef salad. And his name is Victor Seydoux. He was working as a chef at Hotel Buffalo in NYC. But he also had a lot of experience with cooking during his student years in Europe.
So, what did he have to do with the invention of Chef salad?
Well, according to his wife, it was at Hotel Buffalo that this kind of salad was first introduced.
Apparently, people were asking about this salad with meat, eggs, and cheese, which prompted the managers to add it to the menu. And so, Victor was asked to give it a name. His simple answer? - "Well, it's really a chef's salad."
Yes, there are some additional fun facts about the history of Chef salad. One of them is that the first recipe that was printed was in 1936. The single difference was that the ingredients listed excluded meat.
And ten years prior, in 1926, there was a recipe for a salad bowl rubbed with garlic that got the name "Cooks Salad."
Other notable mentions of Chef salad recipe include:
Also, what's interesting is that Chef salad was a great meal for the hot summer days. See, back in say the 1950s, air conditioning wasn't a common thing yet. And so, Chef salad could really freshen you up.
A serving size of 520g of Chef salad contains approximately 675 calories.
This includes 52g of total fat, as well as 260mg of cholesterol. Or in terms of daily value percentage, that's 80% and 87% respectively. This is based on a 2000-calorie diet.
Additionally, there are 1450mg of sodium (60%), 1132mg of potassium (32%), and 27g of total carbohydrates (9%). As for the amount of protein, it is 28g. When it comes to minerals and vitamins, we got - 322% of vitamin A, 40% of vitamin C, 30% of calcium, and 23% of iron.
Aside from giving you all the information on Chef salad, we're also here to help you find some near you.
Hence, for those of you in New York, we strongly recommend Justino's Pizza. Located at 881 10th Ave, they're open 7 days a week and even offer a 5% discount on all online orders through Slice. You can either give them a visit, or order for takeout or delivery.
And if you happen to be in Houston, then Mony's Pizzeria is the right place for some delicious Chef salad! They are also open 7 days a week, and you can order for both pickup and delivery. As for their location, you can find them at 2808 Milam St.
Of course, if you're in any other city, then just consult the listings on this page.