Italian dressing facts for kids
A dish of Italian dressing
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| Type | Salad dressing or marinade |
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| Place of origin | United States |
| Main ingredients | Water, vinegar or lemon juice, vegetable oil, bell peppers, sugar or corn syrup, herbs and spices |
| Variations | Creamy Italian |
Italian dressing is a popular type of salad dressing in American cuisine. It is a mix of water, vinegar (or lemon juice), and vegetable oil. It also contains chopped bell peppers, sugar (or corn syrup), and many herbs and spices. Common spices include oregano, fennel, dill, and salt. Sometimes, it also has onion and garlic.
There is also a version called creamy Italian. This one has milk products and other ingredients to make it smooth and thick.
You can often buy Italian dressing already bottled from stores. Or, you can make it at home. People often mix oil and vinegar with a special packet of dried vegetables and herbs.
Even though it is called "Italian dressing," it is not typically used in Italy. In Italy, people usually dress their salads with olive oil, vinegar (or lemon juice), and salt. Sometimes, they use balsamic vinegar. They usually add these ingredients at the table, not as a pre-mixed dressing.
In North America, Italian dressing is also used in other ways. It can be a marinade for meat or vegetables. People use it for stir-frys and on sandwiches. Pasta salads sometimes include Italian dressing too. The amount of calories in Italian dressing can be very different depending on the brand.
History of Italian Dressing
The idea for North American style Italian salad dressing is thought to have started in 1941. This was in Framingham, Massachusetts.
Ken's Steak House
Florence Hanna was the daughter of Italian immigrants. She was married to a restaurant owner named Ken Hanna. Florence made large amounts of her family's special salad dressing. This dressing was for the salads served at their restaurant. The restaurant was first called The '41 Cafe. Later, it moved and became known as Ken's Steak House.
The salad dressing became very popular. They had to make it in large containers in the basement of Ken's to keep up with how much people wanted. Customers even started asking to buy the Italian dressing to take home. A family named Crowley, who owned a nearby factory, talked to the Hanna family. They wanted to bottle the popular salad dressing. This led to the creation of Ken's Salad Dressing. Today, Ken's makes many different kinds of Italian dressing and other flavors too.
Wish-Bone Dressing
Italian salad dressing was also served in Kansas City, Missouri. This was at the Wishbone Restaurant, starting in 1948. Phillip Sollomi opened the Wishbone in 1945 with his mother, Lena Sollomi. The Italian dressing at the Wishbone was based on a recipe from Lena Sollomi's Sicilian family. It was a mix of oil, vinegar, herbs, and spices.
Many people wanted the salad dressing. So, Phillip started a separate business just to make it for sale. He made it by the barrel. Later, the recipe for the dressing was bought by Lipton. Since then, different companies have made it for sale. The product is currently made by Pinnacle Foods, Inc..
See also
In Spanish: Aliño italiano para niños
