Olivier salad

A very popular Rusisian dish, Salad Olivier has so many variations and that's the beauty of it but the main ingredient that will make it taste authentic to the Russian version are Russet potatoes, boiled, peeled and finely diced. 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. Olivier's salad quickly became immensely popular with Hermitage regulars, and became the restaurant's signature dish.

Olivier Salad usually has also peas, carrots, onions, meat, pickles, and eggs all mixed with mayo. The meat used is either bologna, chicken or ham. The potatoes, eggs and carrots are cooked by boiling with skin on in water, then peeled.

Today's popular version of Olivier salad—containing boiled potatoes, dill pickles, peas, eggs, carrots, and boiled beef/chicken or bologna, dressed with mayonnaise—is a version of Ivanov's Stolichny salad, and only faintly resembles Olivier's original creation. This version was a staple of any Soviet holiday dinner, the salad has become one of the main dishes on Zakuski tables served during New Year's Eve ("Novy God") celebrations (to the extent that its presence was considered on a par with Soviet Champagne or mandarin oranges), due to availability of components in winter. Even though more exotic foods are widely available in Russia now, its popularity has hardly diminished: this salad was and maybe still is the most traditional dish for the home New Year celebration for Russian people.