What Is A Waldorf Salad And What's The Story Behind Its Name?
It's hard to say which is more famous — the Waldorf hotel or the salad that bears its name. Both are icons of New York City and American culture as a whole, yet they are strangely at odds with one another. The Waldorf Astoria has always been a symbol of wealth and prestige, hosting guests such as Queen Elizabeth II, Muhammad Ali, the Dalai Lama, and countless showbiz stars. The salad, on the other hand, is rather basic, made from everyday ingredients. A typical Waldorf salad recipe includes apples, celery, grapes, and walnuts, with an effortless dressing of mayonnaise and lemon juice. However, the original version was even simpler.
It turns out the Waldorf salad is as old as the hotel itself. The Waldorf Astoria actually began as two separate hotels owned by rival cousins William Waldorf Astor and John Jacob Astor IV. The original Waldorf opened at the corner of 33rd Street and Fifth Avenue in 1893, and a 1,500-guest charity ball marked its grand opening in support of St. Mary's Hospital for Children. Here, attendants were treated to the first-ever Waldorf salad, which originally had just three ingredients — apples, celery, and mayonnaise. The walnuts that are now considered integral to the salad's identity were nowhere to be found. What chef would think to serve something so basic to the city's most elite citizens? No chef at all, it turns out, for the salad was invented by the hotel's maître d'.
The remarkable man behind the Waldorf salad
The Waldorf salad was invented by Oscar Tschirky, the hotel's first maître d', who was just 26 years old when he presided over the grand opening ball. By then, he had already lived quite a life, coming a long way from his remote hometown of La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland. After immigrating to the United States as a teenager, Tschirky worked his way through the restaurant service industry. He began as a busboy and ascended to the maître d' position at Delmonico's Steakhouse before heading to the Waldorf. He loved schmoozing with the rich and famous, becoming somewhat of a celebrity himself over his 50 years of service at the hotel.
Tschirky had very little experience in the culinary arts but reveled in planning multi-course menus for events at the Waldorf. A man of simple tastes, he took an uncomplicated approach to food. In 1896, he released "The Cookbook by 'Oscar' of the Waldorf," packed with recipes that used minimal ingredients and easy techniques, including his three-ingredient Waldorf salad. This helped to establish his standing in the culinary world, which grew stronger and stronger throughout his life. Reporters called upon him for the trendiest food advice. He even owned a farm in upstate New York that he managed with his wife and later converted into a retirement community for chefs. But for all the glamorous connections he made, it's the Waldorf salad that defines his legacy.
How the Waldorf salad evolved over time
If someone ordered a Waldorf salad today and received a plate of just apples, celery, and mayonnaise, they'd wonder what in the world went wrong. The dish has been adapted and altered by chefs nationwide who seize upon its prestigious associations. Many changes came about in the early 1900s, a period during which salads became very trendy in the U.S., and it was around this time that walnuts became a ubiquitous ingredient in the mix. The first known example of a Waldorf salad recipe with walnuts came in a cookbook by Auguste Escoffier, but the addition was popularized by "The Rector Cook Book," published in 1928 by George Rector, a restaurateur in Chicago.
Recipes for Waldorf salad became so varied that even the hotel itself seemed confused about its nature. When David Garcelon became the Waldorf's culinary director in 2011, he discovered that multiple restaurants within the hotel were serving a Waldorf salad, and none were prepared the same way. Garcelon standardized the hotel's recipe, using julienned apples, candied walnuts, celery root, microgreens, and a truffle oil vinaigrette. One wonders what Oscar Tschirky would think of such a vast departure from his original concept. The Waldorf Astoria closed for renovations in 2017, with the project's completion date being steadily pushed back from 2019 to 2021, 2022, 2023, and, most recently, 2025. Many aspects of the hotel will change, but we can be sure this menu staple will remain.