This salad also has an interesting story, although one that is more legend than documented fact. It traces its origins to the early 20th century around 1918 or so when the owner of a bar in Moscow came up with this idea of a dish so beautiful and filling that it would have a sobering effect on his hard-drinking patrons and would prevent them from running amok and destroying the bar after getting drunk – which, we are reliably informed, was a habit with his patrons.
So he came up with a salad that had hearty and generous layers of food that were familiar to the Russians and also would sober them down if they had it as a meal after their spirited binges.
It starts with a layer of finely sliced red herring ( a fish very popular with working-class Russians at that time, and then proceeds with layers of vegetables (like boiled potatoes, carrots) topped by another layer of onions and beets and mayonnaise. The result was a delicious and filling dish that managed to reduce the urge for violence in the patrons, making them feel generally more mellow and happy with the world at large. However, there is also evidence that the real origin belongs to a Swedish creation dating back to the 1960s, but that’s not a very interesting story. The Russians even gave it a special Russian name – that translates into ‘Herring under a fur coat’. We think we should give this one to the Russians, what say you?
Note: If you can’t find herring, mackerel or sardines will do just as well.
Also Checkout the below articles
