Potato salad facts for kids
Potato salad with egg and mayonnaise
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| Type | Salad |
|---|---|
| Course | Side dish |
| Serving temperature | Warm or cold |
| Main ingredients | Potatoes, mayonnaise |
Potato salad is a yummy dish made mostly from boiled potatoes. It also has lots of other ingredients mixed in. People usually eat it as a side dish, which means it goes along with the main course of a meal.
Many people believe that potato salad first came from Germany. From there, it spread all over Europe and then to other parts of the world, like Asia. The potato salad you might find in America probably came from recipes brought by German and European immigrants in the 1800s.
American-style potato salad is usually served cold or at room temperature. It often includes mayonnaise or something similar, like yogurt or sour cream. You might also find herbs and vegetables, such as onion and celery, in it. Asian-style potato salad is a bit like American-style, but it often tastes sweeter and has more egg.
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Potato Salad Around the World
Potato salad is a popular dish in many countries. Each place often has its own special way of making it. This means you can find many different kinds of potato salad!
Where Did Potato Salad Start?
Most food historians think potato salad began in Germany. Germans have been making warm potato salads for a long time. These early versions often used vinegar, oil, and bacon. As people moved to new places, they took their recipes with them. This helped potato salad become popular worldwide.
Japanese Potato Salad (Potesara)
In Japan, there's a special kind of potato salad called "potesara." It's a bit different from the German or American versions. Potesara usually has mashed boiled potatoes, cucumber, onion, carrot, and boiled eggs. It's mixed with a special Japanese mayonnaise, rice vinegar, and a little bit of karashi mustard.
People think the Japanese version of potato salad came from a Russian dish called Olivier salad. This Russian salad was inspired by Western foods. For a long time, from 1633 to 1853, Japan was closed off to most foreign influences. This was called Sakoku.
After the Kanagawa Treaty, Japan opened its borders. During the Meiji Restoration, Western ideas and customs started to influence Japanese culture, including their food.
How Potesara Became Popular
It's thought that Japanese potato salad first appeared in 1896. A Japanese chef tried to make the Russian Olivier salad. After this first try, the potato salad recipe became known and was even published in a cookbook. The first recipe for potato salad in Japan was in a book called "Western Cooking Method." It even told people how to make mayonnaise at home!
Later, in the 1950s, Kewpie mayonnaise became available in stores. This made it much easier for everyone to make potato salad. By 1972, potesara was a very common side dish. It was even called the "most familiar and loved salad" in Japanese homes.
Today, potesara is often served with main dishes. You'll commonly see it in bento boxes or with katsu. It's almost always served cold. As potesara became popular in Japan, it also became a common dish in South Korea.
Images for kids
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Japanese Potesara
See also
In Spanish: Kartoffelsalat para niños
