Salads

Salad dressing is a condiment used to enhance the flavor and texture of salad, ranging from simple green salads to more elaborate versions of the salad. There are a wide variety of styles of salad dressing used around the world, and some form of dressing for salads is native to many cultures, including most European communities and India . Most markets carry packaged salad dressing in an array of flavors, and it is also possible to make salad dressings at home.

A number of materials are used as bases for salad dressing, such as oils, dairy products, and mayonnaise. Oils are the basis of vinaigrettes, simple blends of oil, vinegar, and herbs, and oils are also used in many Asian dressings, along with ingredients such as soy sauce. Dairy products like cream, yogurt, creme fraiche, and so forth are also common bases for dressings, especially in Eastern Europe .

In addition to a base, a salad dressing can include a wide variety of things including fresh herbs, pickled vegetables or relish, fermented foods like vinegar or soy sauce, nuts, dried fruit, fresh fruit such as lemons, other condiments such as salad cream or ketchup, spicy additions like chilies, and sweet ones such as sugar and molasses. Many cultures have a specific dressing in common usage, such as the blend of yogurt, dill, cucumber, and lemon juice used in the Mediterranean to dress simple salads, or the vinaigrette, which is in wide use in France and Italy .

Dressings can be thick and creamy, as is the case with blue cheese and ranch dressings, which use a dairy base, or they may be light and runny. Some dressings are even designed for a specific salad, like Caesar dressing for the salad of the same name. Many cultures also have specific preferences about the amount of dressing in use, with some salads being drenched in dressing, while others are only lightly spritzed with just enough dressing to be refreshing.