Description  Commonly referred to simply as Russian Salad, in Russia itself it is known as Salade Olivier. The original version of the salad was invented in the 1860s by Lucien Olivier, the chef of the Hermitage restaurant, one of Moscow's most celebrated restaurants. Olivier's salad quickly became immensely popular with Hermitage regulars, and became the restaurant's signature dish.

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, smoked duck, although it is possible that the recipe was varied seasonally. As inevitably happens with gourmet recipes which become popularized, those of the salad's ingredients that were rare, expensive, seasonal, or difficult to prepare were gradually replaced with cheaper and more readily available foods, until it evolved (or devolved) into the dish we know today.

Today's popular version of "Salade Olivier" - 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 Russian holiday dinner, especially of a New Year dinner. Eastern European cafes and delis often provide an entire range of Olivier-style salads, ranging from passable to gourmet.

Ingredients
1/2 pound potatoes
1/2 pound - carrots
3 eggs
4 small dill pickles
1/4 pound meat
1/4 pound green peas
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 pound mayonnaise

Recipe
Peal and boil potatoes and carrots. Boil eggs. Boil meat. Let them cool down. Chop potatoes, carrots, dill pickles, peeled eggs and meat into 1/2 inch squares. Add green peas and salt. Stir mayonnaise into the salad, thoroughly mix it and refrigerate. Serves 6-8 persons.