What do Americans call ‘Russian dressing’?
The recipe for the classic New York ‘Reuben’ sandwich is simple: rye bread, pastrami (corned beef), cheese, sauerkraut, horseradish and ‘Russian dressing’. In Russia, there are no sauces with this name, but many will understand what it is.
The basis for it is ketchup and mayonnaise. It was invented by Americans at the beginning of the 20th century: such a sauce was often suggested in cookbooks to dress tomatoes and asparagus. In addition to ‘ketchunnaise’, horseradish, mustard, pimento, chives and spices are added to the dressing.
And it was called ‘Russian’, because, originally, the sauce was made with beluga or sevruga (starry sturgeon) caviar, which were considered one of the "pillars" of Russian cuisine.
Today, ‘Russian dressing’ is often replaced by the similar in flavor ‘thousand islands’ dressing. At the same time, both variants are available in grocery stores. Ironcially, in Germany, this dressing is called ‘American’!
