Buffalo sauce
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Thousand Island dressing
Thousand Islands dressing
Thousand Island dressing is a pink, sweet-savoury dressing of mayonnaise, tomato condiment and chopped pickle relish, named for the Thousand Islands region on the St. Lawrence River, where its origin is placed.
What it is
Thousand Island dressing is a mayonnaise-based dressing coloured pink by tomato condiment and studded with chopped pickle relish. It is sweet, tangy and mild, and it is the dressing of the classic chopped salad and the Reuben sandwich.
Its flavour structure is different from Caesar or ranch: the sweetness of tomato and relish is the defining note, not garlic, cheese or dairy tang.
Sources for this section
Where the name comes from
The dressing takes its name from the Thousand Islands, a cluster of islands on the St. Lawrence River on the border of the United States and Canada. Some sources say the name refers to the islands; another theory says the pickle bits resemble tiny islands in the dressing. Wikipedia records that the origin of the name is unknown.
Sources for this section
Competing origin stories
The Boldt story is the best known. It credits George Boldt, owner of the Waldorf-Astoria, and his chef, and says the dressing was served at the hotel after the name came from Boldt's summer home in the islands. Some researchers doubt it.
The Clayton story credits Sophia Lelonde, who made the dressing at the Herald Hotel in Clayton, New York, for her fisherman husband. The Thousand Islands Inn owners say a recipe card supports it. The 1912 Kansas City Star article credits a chef at Chicago's Drake Hotel, Theo Rooms. No source here settles the question, and the record reports each account as its sources give it.
Sources for this section
Making it
Mayonnaise is combined with a tomato condiment and chopped pickle relish, and the dressing is seasoned to taste and chilled. The sources give no proportions, and home and restaurant versions differ in sweetness, relish and spice.
The dressing spread across North America in the early twentieth century, and it is now made from scratch or bought ready-made. Its method is simple, so the choice of tomato condiment and relish decides the character of the result.
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Notes
The inventor is not established. The name's origin is unknown according to Wikipedia. Proportions and the storage limit are not given by the sources used for this record.
Sources for this section
History
Every account places the origin in the Thousand Islands, on the St. Lawrence River between New York and Ontario. The best-known story credits George Boldt, owner of the Waldorf-Astoria, and his chef, and links the name to Boldt's summer home. Thousand Islands Inn owners tell a different story, of innkeeper Sophia Lelonde who made the dressing at the Herald Hotel in Clayton, New York, for her fisherman husband. A 1912 Kansas City Star article credits a chef at Chicago's Drake Hotel, Theo Rooms, and the Oxford English Dictionary cites that article as an early printed use of the name. A University of Wisconsin study found that the story differed among villages and islands. Wikipedia says the origin of the name is unknown.
Ingredients
Scaling: quantities are not established by the sources.
Mayonnaise
Base; quantity not given
Tomato condiment (ketchup or chili sauce)
Quantity not given
Pickle relish, choppedChopped.
Quantity not given
Method
- Combine the mayonnaise and the tomato condiment until evenly pink.
- Stir in the chopped pickle relish and season to taste.
- Chill before serving. The sources give no quantities or storage limit.
Places
Thousand Islands, New York
Traditional use · Region evidenceEvery account places the origin in the Thousand Islands region, but the sources disagree on the inventor and the hotel.
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Sources
WikipediaHistory · Method
Thousand Island dressingThe origin of the name is unknown; the dressing is a mayonnaise and tomato condiment dressing with pickle relish.
Cited in: What it is; Where the name comes from; Competing origin stories; Making it; Notes
NPR (The Salt)History
Thousand Islands: two tales, who really invented that dressingCompeting origin stories: Boldt and the Waldorf-Astoria; Sophia Lelonde and the Herald Hotel in Clayton; the 1912 Chicago Drake Hotel claim.
Cited in: Competing origin stories