Have you ever had Waldorf Salad?  This is type of salad made from apples, grapes, celery, walnuts and mayonnaise, that was invented at the Waldorf Hotel in New York City in the 1890’s.  It is not every day that you can pinpoint* exactly where and when a food was invented, but Waldorf Salad is one of these foods.  Since we know where (New York City) and when (the 1890’s) this salad was created we can say with certainty that is this is an all-America salad – a truly American food.

The chef at the Waldorf Hotel in the 1890’s, Oscar Tschirky, is credited with inventing many  popular recipes, including Waldorf Salad.  Today the Waldorf Hotel no longer exists, but in it’s place there is the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, which is luxury hotel in the heart of New York City.  Of course, Oscar Tschirky is not longer the chef at the Waldorf-Astoria either, but if you are lucky enough to stay at this hotel and dine in its restaurant you can still find their signature** salad dish on the menu.  You can also make this salad for yourself at home and save yourself the trip to New York City and expense of eating out!  Below is a video with simple direction for how to make this refreshing salad.

Here is some vocabulary from the video that will be helpful to know before watching:

zest – the outermost part of an orange, lemon, or other citrus fruit, used as flavoring
to zest – to take off the outermost part of the peel of a citrus fruit to use in cooking
to core – to remove the center
to chop – to cut into small pieces
to slice – to cut into flat thin pieces
to toss – to throw or mix lightly
to garnish – to enhance in appearance by adding decoration

*to locate or identify with precision

**distinctive or unique