Tuna salad
Tuna salad starts with a blend of two main ingredients: tuna and mayonnaise. The tuna used is usually pre-cooked, canned, and packaged in water or oil.[1] Pickles, celery, relish, and onion[1] are foremost among the ingredients that are often added. When the mixture is placed on bread, it makes a tuna salad sandwich.[1] Tuna salad is also regularly served by itself, or on top of crackers, lettuce, tomato, or avocado. Chopped boiled eggs may be added. Relish adds a piquant flavor yet, unlike commonly added vegetables, requires no chopping. As a healthier alternative to mayonnaise, hummus can be used in the preparation of tuna salad.
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| Type | Salad |
|---|---|
| Main ingredients | Tuna, mayonnaise |
Dishes
In Belgium, the dish pêches au thon/perziken met tonijn ('peaches with tuna') is made from halved canned or fresh peaches stuffed with tuna salad.[2] It is widespread throughout the country, and, due to its ease of preparation, it is common fare at potlucks.
Pêches au thon (peaches with tuna)
History
Tuna salad has been eaten for over 100 years. The first written reference to tuna salad, in America, appeared in 1907, and by 1914 dozens of recipes had been published.[3] Tuna salad, especially with celery, is similar to chicken salad while also being much cheaper, a fact that helped its early rise in popularity.
Due to tuna salad being high in vitamins, it gained the status of a dieter's dish in the 1960s.[3]
References
- Westmoreland, S. (2007). The Good Housekeeping Cookbook: 1,039 Recipes from America's Favorite Test Kitchen. Hearst Books. p. 426. ISBN 978-1-58816-561-9. Retrieved August 23, 2019.
- Eric Boschman; Nathalie Derny (2008). Le goût des Belges, Volume 2 (in French). Brussels: Lannoo Uitgeverij. p. 9. ISBN 9782873865252.
- Andrew F. Smith (2012). American Tuna: The Rise and Fall of an Improbable Food. Volume 37 of California Studies in Food and Culture. Berkeley, Cal.: University of California Press. pp. 76–78. ISBN 9780520261846. OCLC 840601734.