Where do salad dressings get their names?
Although manufacturers introduce new flavors all the time, many consumers stick to their longtime favorites in salad dressings — ranch, French, Italian, Caesar, blue cheese and Thousand Island — and many of the dressings available in stores and restaurants are variations of these. Most of the dressings you use either are creamy and have mayonnaise as a base ingredient or are oily and have salad oil as a base ingredient. The herbs, spices and other flavorings are added to make a certain kind of dressing. Here are some of the favorites: • Thousand Island dressing was named for the Thousand Island region of upstate New York, where the dressing originated. The region, along the St. Lawrence Seaway and Lake Ontario, is a popular spot for fishermen and hunters and for other tourists. The key ingredients in the dressing are mayonnaise and chili sauce, which is made of peppers and tomatoes. The tiny chunks in the dressing are finely chopped pickles, onions, olives and hard-cooked egg. • Ranc
