Even in the Soviet era, he attended every festive table and was considered an integral attribute of the feast. Olivier Salad is a type of Russian potato salad, invented in the 1860s by Lucien Olivier, a Belgian chef and the owner of Hermitage restaurant in Moscow. History of Olivier salad. Салат «Оливье» (Olivier Salad) is a salad for which the recipe can vary widely, but which is typically made from chopped vegetables and meat in a mayonnaise base. The original version of the salad was invented in the 1860s by a cook of Belgian origin, Lucien Olivier, the chef of the Hermitage, one of Moscow’s most celebrated restaurants.

Russian Salad is known by several names such as “Ensalada Rusa” or “Olivier Salad” or “Salad Olivieh”. Salad Olivier experienced a new birth under the Soviet regime. Olivier’s salad quickly became immensely popular with Hermitage regulars, and became the restaurant’s signature dish. The chives and dill add a nice element of freshness. This version has changes from the original recipe and faintly resembles Olivier's original creation -- but the ingredients are rather more handy. Over the years, it gained in popularity not only in Russia, but throughout the rest of the Soviet Union and Europe.

Now, the salad was made from potatoes, green peas, boiled eggs, pickled cucumbers, and boiled chicken meat with mayonnaise dressing. This salad has become an essential appetizer for the salad buffets of New Year meals in Russia and in the countries of the former USSR. Olivier's salad quickly became immensely popular with Hermitage regulars, and became the restaurant's signature dish. In the 1860’s at a French restaurant called Hermitage in Moscow, there worked a cook, Laurence Olivier. The important thing for its success was to put together very exclusive and expensive ingredients that made the dish something only available to the wealthy. Olivye - Ukrainian Potato Salad - Olivier 4.92 from 23 votes Prep Time: 1 hour Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes My husband makes this version of the famous olivye or Olivier salad.

The Soviet Olivier Salad After the October Revolution of 1917 and the Civil War with subsequent famine and destruction, the Russian cuisine became ancient history in Soviet Russia. However, a simplified recipe of Olivier Salad was made up among impoverished Russian immigrants who had fled abroad after the Revolution of 1917. The exact recipe — particularly that of the dressing — was a jealously guarded secret, but it is known that the salad contained grouse, veal tongue, caviar, lettuce, crayfish tails, capers, and smoked duck, although it is possible that the recipe was varied seasonally.