Potato salad is a
dishA recipe is a set of instructions that show how to prepare or make something, especially a culinary dish.Modern culinary recipes normally consist of several components:*The name of the dish...
made from
potatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes are the world's fourth largest food...
es, and varies throughout different regions and countries of the world.
With respect to its place among the various individual menu courses served together as one meal, it is better classified as a
side dishA side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal...
rather than a
saladSalad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They include a mixture of cold or hot foods, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.Green salads...
, as it generally accompanies the
main courseA main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée course, and the salad course. In North American usage it may in fact be called the "entrée"....
.
General versions of potato salad include:
- salad made with baby potatoes, cooked in their jackets and left whole (skin on)
- larger potatoes, cooked in their jackets and then peeled and cut
- salad with a mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a thick condiment. White or yellowish-white in color, it is a stable emulsion of oil, salt and vinegar, or lemon juice which uses egg yolks as an emulsifier...
, Miracle WhipMiracle Whip is a salad dressing and sandwich spread manufactured by Kraft Foods. It is often used as an alternative to mayonnaise in recipes, although it is sweeter and has additional spices. Miracle Whip is also lower in fat and calories.-Origins:...
, sour cream Sour cream is a dairy product rich in fats obtained by fermenting a regular cream by certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream...
or milk dressing
- salad with vinegar
Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid. It also may come in a diluted form. The acetic acid concentration typically ranges from 4 to 8 percent by volume for table vinegar and higher concentrations for pickling...
dressing
- salad with bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured in a brine or in a dry packing, both consisting largely of salt; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months , boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
, anchoviesThe anchovies are a family of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are about 140 species in 16 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish.-Description:...
, or mustard.
- salad with a fresh herb
A herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes....
or dillDill is a short-lived perennial herb. It is the sole species of the genus Anethum, though classified by some botanists in a related genus as Peucedanum graveolens C.B.Clarke.-Growth:...
dressing and/or gherkinThe gherkin is a fruit similar in form and nutritional value to a cucumber. Gherkins and cucumbers belong to the same species , but are different cultivar groups....
s, caperThe caper is a perennial spiny bush that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and big white to pinkish-white flowers. A caper is also the pickled bud of this plant. The bush is native to the Mediterranean region, growing wild on walls or in rocky coastal areas throughout...
s and other spices.
- salad with raw onion
Onion is a term used for many plants in the genus Allium. They are known by the common name "onion" but, used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as the "garden onion" or "bulb" onion...
s, cooked onions or pickledPickling, also known as brining or corning, is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...
onions.
- salad with tomato
The tomato is a herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that is typically cultivated for the purpose of harvesting its fruit for human consumption...
es or green beanGreen beans , French beans or runner beans are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean , whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap beans...
s.
- salad with hard-boiled egg
An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of any number of different species, consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo and its nutrient reserves...
s (a combination of potato salad and egg saladEgg salad is part of an American tradition of salads involving a high-protein or high-carbohydrate food mixed with seasonings in the form of spices, herbs, and other foods, and bound with an oil-based dressing...
)
- salad with ham
Ham is the thigh and rump of pork, cut from the haunch of a pig or boar. Although it may be cooked and served fresh, most ham is cured in some fashion. Cuts referred to as ham in the U.S. are also called gammon in the U.K. and Ireland.-China:...
, pickleA pickled cucumber, most often simply called a pickle in the United States and Canada, is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solutions and left to ferment for a period of time...
s, corn, hard-boiled egg and tomato (known in France as salade piémontaise)
- salad with orange
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus ×sinensis and its fruit. The orange is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo and tangerine...
slices, Worcestershire sauceWorcestershire sauce , or often Worcester Sauce is a fermented liquid condiment used for flavouring many cooked and uncooked dishes, especially with grilled or barbecued meats...
, bacon, and chivesChives are the smallest species of the onion family Alliaceae, native to Europe, Asia and North America. Some believe the name must be pluralized as 'chives', but actually 'chive' is the original English form of the word, borrowed from French...
.
Different versions of potato salad are served at different temperatures.
Most potato salads are served at room temperature, the southern
GermanGerman cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. The southern regions of Germany, Bavaria and Swabia share many dishes. Ingredients and dishes vary...
variant may be served warm as well.
In the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and northern Germany potato salads are commonly served chilled.
Potato salad is often served with
barbecueBarbecue or barbeque is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, with the heat and hot gases of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal or a propane gas grill, and may...
,
roastRoasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization or Maillard browning of the surface of the food, which is considered a flavour enhancement. Meats and most root and bulb vegetables can be roasted...
s,
hot dogA hot dog is a moist sausage of soft, even texture and flavor, often made from advanced meat recovery or meat slurry. Most types are fully cooked, cured or smoked. It is often placed hot in a special purpose soft, sliced hot dog bun...
s,
fried chickenFried chicken is chicken which is coated with flour, a breading mixture or batter and then deep fried, pan fried or pressure fried. The breading adds a crispy crust to the exterior...
,
hamburgerA hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat, usually beef, placed in an open bun or between two slices of bread...
s and cold
sandwichA sandwich is a food item consisting of two or more slices of bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of food, typically taken to work or school, or picnics to be eaten as...
es.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Potato salad' Start a new discussion about 'Potato salad' Answer questions from other users |
Potato salad is a
dishA recipe is a set of instructions that show how to prepare or make something, especially a culinary dish.Modern culinary recipes normally consist of several components:*The name of the dish...
made from
potatoThe potato is a starchy, tuberous crop from the perennial Solanum tuberosum of the Solanaceae family . The word potato may refer to the plant itself as well. In the region of the Andes, there are some other closely related cultivated potato species. Potatoes are the world's fourth largest food...
es, and varies throughout different regions and countries of the world.
With respect to its place among the various individual menu courses served together as one meal, it is better classified as a
side dishA side dish, sometimes referred to as a side order or simply a side, is a food item that accompanies the entrée or main course at a meal...
rather than a
saladSalad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They include a mixture of cold or hot foods, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.Green salads...
, as it generally accompanies the
main courseA main course is the featured or primary dish in a meal consisting of several courses. It usually follows the entrée course, and the salad course. In North American usage it may in fact be called the "entrée"....
.
General versions of potato salad include:
- salad made with baby potatoes, cooked in their jackets and left whole (skin on)
- larger potatoes, cooked in their jackets and then peeled and cut
- salad with a mayonnaise
Mayonnaise is a thick condiment. White or yellowish-white in color, it is a stable emulsion of oil, salt and vinegar, or lemon juice which uses egg yolks as an emulsifier...
, Miracle WhipMiracle Whip is a salad dressing and sandwich spread manufactured by Kraft Foods. It is often used as an alternative to mayonnaise in recipes, although it is sweeter and has additional spices. Miracle Whip is also lower in fat and calories.-Origins:...
, sour cream Sour cream is a dairy product rich in fats obtained by fermenting a regular cream by certain kinds of lactic acid bacteria. The bacterial culture, introduced either deliberately or naturally, sours and thickens the cream...
or milk dressing
- salad with vinegar
Vinegar is an acidic liquid processed from the fermentation of ethanol in a process that yields its key ingredient, acetic acid. It also may come in a diluted form. The acetic acid concentration typically ranges from 4 to 8 percent by volume for table vinegar and higher concentrations for pickling...
dressing
- salad with bacon
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured in a brine or in a dry packing, both consisting largely of salt; the result is fresh bacon . Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months , boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon must be cooked before eating...
, anchoviesThe anchovies are a family of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are about 140 species in 16 genera, found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans. Anchovies are usually classified as an oily fish.-Description:...
, or mustard.
- salad with a fresh herb
A herb is a plant that is valued for flavor, scent, or other qualities. Herbs are used in cooking, as medicines, and for spiritual purposes....
or dillDill is a short-lived perennial herb. It is the sole species of the genus Anethum, though classified by some botanists in a related genus as Peucedanum graveolens C.B.Clarke.-Growth:...
dressing and/or gherkinThe gherkin is a fruit similar in form and nutritional value to a cucumber. Gherkins and cucumbers belong to the same species , but are different cultivar groups....
s, caperThe caper is a perennial spiny bush that bears rounded, fleshy leaves and big white to pinkish-white flowers. A caper is also the pickled bud of this plant. The bush is native to the Mediterranean region, growing wild on walls or in rocky coastal areas throughout...
s and other spices.
- salad with raw onion
Onion is a term used for many plants in the genus Allium. They are known by the common name "onion" but, used without qualifiers, it usually refers to Allium cepa. Allium cepa is also known as the "garden onion" or "bulb" onion...
s, cooked onions or pickledPickling, also known as brining or corning, is the process of preserving food by anaerobic fermentation in brine to produce lactic acid, or marinating and storing it in an acid solution, usually vinegar . The resulting food is called a pickle. This procedure gives the food a salty or sour taste...
onions.
- salad with tomato
The tomato is a herbaceous, usually sprawling plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family that is typically cultivated for the purpose of harvesting its fruit for human consumption...
es or green beanGreen beans , French beans or runner beans are the unripe fruit of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean , whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap beans...
s.
- salad with hard-boiled egg
An egg is a round or oval body laid by the female of any number of different species, consisting of an ovum surrounded by layers of membranes and an outer casing, which acts to nourish and protect a developing embryo and its nutrient reserves...
s (a combination of potato salad and egg saladEgg salad is part of an American tradition of salads involving a high-protein or high-carbohydrate food mixed with seasonings in the form of spices, herbs, and other foods, and bound with an oil-based dressing...
)
- salad with ham
Ham is the thigh and rump of pork, cut from the haunch of a pig or boar. Although it may be cooked and served fresh, most ham is cured in some fashion. Cuts referred to as ham in the U.S. are also called gammon in the U.K. and Ireland.-China:...
, pickleA pickled cucumber, most often simply called a pickle in the United States and Canada, is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solutions and left to ferment for a period of time...
s, corn, hard-boiled egg and tomato (known in France as salade piémontaise)
- salad with orange
An orange—specifically, the sweet orange—is the citrus Citrus ×sinensis and its fruit. The orange is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pomelo and tangerine...
slices, Worcestershire sauceWorcestershire sauce , or often Worcester Sauce is a fermented liquid condiment used for flavouring many cooked and uncooked dishes, especially with grilled or barbecued meats...
, bacon, and chivesChives are the smallest species of the onion family Alliaceae, native to Europe, Asia and North America. Some believe the name must be pluralized as 'chives', but actually 'chive' is the original English form of the word, borrowed from French...
.
Different versions of potato salad are served at different temperatures.
Most potato salads are served at room temperature, the southern
GermanGerman cuisine is a style of cooking derived from the nation of Germany. It has evolved as a national cuisine through centuries of social and political change with variations from region to region. The southern regions of Germany, Bavaria and Swabia share many dishes. Ingredients and dishes vary...
variant may be served warm as well.
In the
U.S.The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and northern Germany potato salads are commonly served chilled.
Potato salad is often served with
barbecueBarbecue or barbeque is a method and apparatus for cooking meat, with the heat and hot gases of a fire, smoking wood, or hot coals of charcoal or a propane gas grill, and may...
,
roastRoasting is a cooking method that uses dry heat, whether an open flame, oven, or other heat source. Roasting usually causes caramelization or Maillard browning of the surface of the food, which is considered a flavour enhancement. Meats and most root and bulb vegetables can be roasted...
s,
hot dogA hot dog is a moist sausage of soft, even texture and flavor, often made from advanced meat recovery or meat slurry. Most types are fully cooked, cured or smoked. It is often placed hot in a special purpose soft, sliced hot dog bun...
s,
fried chickenFried chicken is chicken which is coated with flour, a breading mixture or batter and then deep fried, pan fried or pressure fried. The breading adds a crispy crust to the exterior...
,
hamburgerA hamburger is a sandwich consisting of a cooked patty of ground meat, usually beef, placed in an open bun or between two slices of bread...
s and cold
sandwichA sandwich is a food item consisting of two or more slices of bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of food, typically taken to work or school, or picnics to be eaten as...
es. It is generally considered casual fare, and as such is typically served at picnics, outdoor barbecues, and other casual meals and events. It is a popular menu choice of cooks preparing food for a large number of people, because it is easily made in large quantities, it can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until needed, and requires only inexpensive ingredients.
German potato salad is a popular variation which is generally served warm. It is typically more sour in taste and contains pork or bacon. Potato salad from northern Germany, however, is generally based on mayonnaise and quite similar to its US counterpart.
External links