The earth around: Majonnässalladen which raises the constant debate in Russia

A Russian nyårsbord shall receive of different appetizers, zakuski. At least two of them are mandatory: caviar and salat olivie.

I know no Russian law that might generate as many disputes as this majonnässallad. Question two russians how a true olivie look like, and you get three answers. All equally uncompromising.

The Moskvafödda French chef Lucien Olivier should have composed this salad during the second half of the 1800s. The original recipe he took with him to the grave – which is just as good. Olivie has at this point as many versions as there are the Russian households.

peas, boiled potatoes, carrot and eggs, and pickles and mayonnaise. Some add in the chicken, the other sausage, some heavy or crab.

In most traditional recipes include boiled sausage – the classic soviet doktorskaja kolbasa. Some believe that olivie can not be called olivie, but this particular sausage. Others see the sausage as an abomination.

– Those who loathe olivie do it because of the sausage. If you skip the sausage and not put too much mayonnaise is oliviesallad delicious, " says a Russian friend to me.

She gave olivie when I visited her dacha after the new year. This included not sausage, however, smoked chicken and a whole apple.

According to my friend, is both the sausage and the tendency to put in a bit too much mayonnaise a relic from the soviet era. Then both doktorskaja-sausage and mayonnaise delights that not every day must be traded in good time before the new year. Potatoes, pickled cucumber and carrot was mostly hands on, the rest of the ingredients had to buy as soon as they happened to be in the deal.

during the new year holidays a wild debate on oliviens be and not to be.

" Is there really someone who still voluntarily eat olivie to the new year? asked a guy, and thus put off a endless debattråd.

– To eat the olivie voluntarily is no problem. Try cutting up all the ingredients on a voluntary basis. You will then understand why women historically have been relegated to the kitchen, replied another.

no matter what you use for ingredients, there namely one thing that all agree on: Everything that is included in a olivie shall be for example as small pieces as possible.

It takes in other words, forever to make a real olivie. That tour is the only mandatory once a year.