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Jello salad
History
Early gelatin-based precursors to the jello salad included fruit and wine jellies and decorative aspic dishes, which were made with commercial or homemade gelatin. Gelatin was time-consuming to cook, and commercial gelatin was produced in shreds or strips until the late 19th century and needed to be soaked for a long time before use.[1] In 1894, the Knox Company produced the first commercial granulated gelatin, followed by Jell-O a few years later.[2] The name "jello salad" is derived from the genericization of the Jell-O brand name. The convenience of jello made gelatin-based dishes easier to prepare at home, compared to early jellies and aspics.
One of the earliest examples of jello salad is Perfection Salad, developed by Mrs. John E. Cook of New Castle, Pennsylvania in 1904. The original salad called for chopped cabbage, celery and red peppers in a plain aspic mold.[1] Perfection Salad won third prize in a Better Homes and Gardens recipe contest and popularized the concept of the jello salad in the United States.[3] Jello acted as an easy and cheap addition to more labor-intensive or expensive recipes, especially during the Great Depression and World War II.[3] Jello salads were especially fashionable in the suburbs in the 1950s.[2] They were seen as a marker of sophistication, elegance and status, indicating that a housewife had time to prepare jello molds and that her family could afford a refrigerator.[4] In response to the mid-century popularity of jello salads, Jell-O released several savory flavors, including seasoned tomato and celery.[5]
In the 1960s, with the rise of Julia Child and the popularization of French cooking in the United States, the jello salad fell out of fashion.[5] It is now most popular in rural areas of the upper Midwest and in Utah, where Jell-O is the official state snack.[4]
Varieties
Jello salad can be either savory or sweet, though savory varieties are primarily prepared as a kitsch novelty today.[6]
- ^ a b Shapiro, Laura (2008). Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century. University of California Press.
- ^ a b Wall, Wendy (Winter 2006). "Shakespearean Jell-O: Mortality and Malleability in the Kitchen". Gastronomica. 6 (1).
- ^ a b Manty, Kris (June 21, 2023). "How Jell-O Salads Created a Culinary Sensation". Kovels Antique Trader.
- ^ a b Levitt, Aimee (2024-02-29). "In 'Joys of Jell-O,' There's Nothing You Can't Do With Colored Gelatin". Eater. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ a b Meyersohn, Nathaniel (2022-11-19). "How Jell-O lost its spot as America's favorite dessert | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved 2024-04-29.
- ^ Oatman-Stanford, Hunter. "Making, and Eating, the 1950s' Most Nauseating Jell-O Soaked Recipes". Collectors Weekly. Retrieved 2024-04-29.