Hello there, greetings from Canada! I always wanted to learn how to make a ‘vinigret’ salad (excuse me for my pronunciation). My friend from St Petersburg once treated me and since then it’s been my idee fixe. Will you instruct me?

It’s quite simple to prepare it. You just have to boil vegetables, dice them, mix all together and dress with oil.

4 Potatoes
1 Beet
1 Carrot
2 Pickles
1 Onion
Oil
Salt
Dill/Parsley

Hey why is it called so? Any connection to “vinaigrette”? It sounds surprisingly like the French salad dressing.

Steffen Hofman - 30 December 2010 04:29 AM

Hey why is it called so? Any connection to “vinaigrette”? It sounds surprisingly like the French salad dressing.

That’s true. It was actually a French dish but it moved into the Russian cuisine under this name. And actually most Russians are sure that vinegret is a most authentic RUSSIAN dish

Yes, it is also called French dressing. Vinaigrette is made of vinegar, oil, salt and herbs. Russian classical vinegret is supposed to be dressed with this sauce. But nowadays people mostly get along with oil only.

Steffen Hofman - 30 December 2010 04:29 AM

Hey why is it called so? Any connection to “vinaigrette”? It sounds surprisingly like the French salad dressing.

Vinaigrette is a mixture (emulsion) of salad oil and vinegar, often flavored with herbs, spices, and other ingredients. It is used most commonly as a salad dressing, but also as a cold sauce or marinade.

Vinaigrette (Винегрет) is also the name of a classic Russian salad made with this dressing. The salad consists of the dressing, beet, pickled cucumber, potatos, carrot and onion. Other ingredients, such as green peas or sauerkraut are sometimes also added.

Despite its widespread popularity in Russia the root of its origins may be in German or Scandinavian cuisine. An english cookbook from year 1845, for example, had a recipe for a herring salad made of: herring, beet, potatos, egg white and apples, with dressing made of oil, vinegar and sour cream.

Here’s the recipe:

Russian vinaigrette is the most popular salad in Russia, especially during a winter because most of ingredients are pickled or marinated.

Russian Vinaigrette Recipe Ingredients:

4 medium cooked beets
4 medium boiled potatoes
2 pickled cucumber
1-2 medium onions
1 cup braised green peas
2 medium boiled carrot
1 medium sliced pickled cabbage
sauce consisting 3 tablespoons sunflower seeds oil, 1 tablespoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon mustard, salt

Russian Vinaigrette Recipe Instructions

Cut potatoes, cucumbers, onions and carrots into diamonds shapers. Add sliced pickled cabbage and green peas. Cut beets into diamonds and add the sauce. Mix it with other ingredients.

Put it into a fridge and leave for an hour until it becomes cold and takes red colour from beets.