The reason why Russian Salad is called Russian Salad is because the Russian Salad originated in Moscow, Russia, in the 1860s.
The Russian salad dish was created by Lucien Olivier, which was a chef of French and Belgian descent who also ran the Hermitage restaurant in Moscow.
Russian Salad was originally called Olivier Salad and was a luxury appetizer that featured exotic ingredients like grouse, caviar, crayfish and tongue, which was bound by a secret mayonnaise based dressing.
And following the Russian Revolution of 1917, food supplies that were scarce had forced chefs to replace the rare and expensive ingredients with cheaper and more readily available ingredients like pickles, peas, carrots and boiled potatoes.
And as refugees had fled Russia, the refuges also brought the economical version of Russian salad recipe to the rest of Europe and even beyond.
Russian salad has became a beloved staple salad in countries including Spain (Ensaladilla Rusa) and even across latin America and the Middle East, where it adopted the general name of Russian Salad along the way.
Today, in the salad's homeland of Russia, Russian salad is also often still known primarily as Olivier Salad and also remains a traditional staple in Russia, especially on New Year's Eve.
Russian Salad, which is also known as Olivier salad is a hearty dish that is made of diced boiled potatoes, carrots, eggs and even pickles and is mixed with peas and a protein like sausage or ham.
Then the ingredients in the Russian Salad are all bound together in a mayonnaise dressing.
The Russian Salad is a staple at celebrations in Russia and former Soviet countries and is often served cold as a side dish or part of a festive spread.
The key ingredients in Russian Salad are vegetables like canned or frozen peas, carrots and boiled potatoes.
Diced bologna, ham, chicken or hot dogs for protein.
Hard boiled and diced eggs.
Diced Dill pickles or gherkins.
Mayonnaise, with salt, pepper and sometimes mustard or a touch of vinegar for the Russian Salad dressing.
And you can also optionally add in diced onions, apple or fresh dill.
To prepare the Russian Salad, you start out by boiling the potatoes, carrots and eggs until they are tender, and then cool and peel.
Next dice all the ingredients including the potatoes, carrots, pickles, eggs and meat into small and uniform pieces.
Then combine the diced ingredients and peas in a large bowl and gently mix in the mayonnaise, salt and pepper until everything is coated.
Next chill the Russian Salad before serving to allow the flavors to meld in the Russian Potato Salad.