Olivier salad for special occasions
A cold, generous salad made of a multitude of tiny dice — potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, meat, peas — bound with mayonnaise. Salty, tangy from the pickle, it is the emblematic dish of the Soviet celebration.
A cold, generous salad made of a multitude of tiny dice — potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, meat, peas — bound with mayonnaise. Salty, tangy from the pickle, it is the emblematic dish of the Soviet celebration.
At our house, no New Year without this salad — and cutting it into tiny dice is like a copyist's work, almost a score to be transcribed note by note. Hard-boiled eggs, pickles, a bit of meat when we found it at the market, all united under the mayonnaise. The children adored it, and I confess it without shame. It is one of the few luxuries our table allowed itself without blushing.
- •Potatoes — a few, cooked (neutral base)
- •Hard-boiled eggs — several (richness, binder)
- •Salted pickles (solenye) — depending on the jar (acidity, crunch)
- •Boiled meat or sausage (kolbassa) — whatever is available (umami, celebration)
- •Peas — one can if available (sweetness, color)
- •Homemade mayonnaise — enough to bind (creamy binder)
Olivier salad for special occasions
A cold, generous salad made of a multitude of tiny dice — potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, meat, peas — bound with mayonnaise. Salty, tangy from the pickle, it is the emblematic dish of the Soviet celebration.
Why this dish? No Soviet table celebrated New Year without this salad: it embodies the rare moment of domestic luxury that his family, like all, allowed itself in the heart of winter.
At our house, no New Year without this salad — and cutting it into tiny dice is like a copyist's work, almost a score to be transcribed note by note. Hard-boiled eggs, pickles, a bit of meat when we found it at the market, all united under the mayonnaise. The children adored it, and I confess it without shame. It is one of the few luxuries our table allowed itself without blushing.
Ingredients (period version)
- Potatoes — a few, cooked (neutral base)
- Hard-boiled eggs — several (richness, binder)
- Salted pickles (solenye) — depending on the jar (acidity, crunch)
- Boiled meat or sausage (kolbassa) — whatever is available (umami, celebration)
- Peas — one can if available (sweetness, color)
- Homemade mayonnaise — enough to bind (creamy binder)
Ingredients
- Potatoes — 3 medium, boiled in skins (base)
- Hard-boiled eggs — 4 (richness)
- Sour pickles — 4 to 5 (acidity, crunch)
- Poached chicken breast or ham — 200 g (festive protein)
- Peas — 1 can (200 g) (sweetness, color)
- Cooked carrot — 1 (color, sweetness)
- Mayonnaise — 150 g (binder)
- Dill, salt, pepper — to taste (seasoning)
Method
- Cook potatoes, carrot, and eggs; cool completely.
- Dice absolutely everything into regular pea-sized cubes — uniformity makes the salad.
- Gently mix with drained peas.
- Bind with mayonnaise, season with salt, pepper, and chopped dill.
- Chill for at least 1 hour; serve well chilled, mounded in a dome.
How it was made : Born in the 19th century at a Moscow restaurant, Olivier salad was simplified in the Soviet era with available ingredients (pickles, sausage, canned peas). It became the immutable ritual of the New Year (Novy God) table, prepared the day before in large quantity.
The contemporary twist : Served in individual glasses with a sprig of dill on top, it goes from the large family bowl to an elegant bite — without losing any of its nostalgia.
Sources : « Kniga o vkousnoï i zdorovoï pichtche », 1939
Dmitri Shostakovich · Charactorium
