These days, you’re more likely to find the two dressings on sandwiches rather than salads —with Russian typically on a Reuben, and a Thousand Island–type spread used as the “secret sauce” on a Big Mac. Thousand Island dressing is a variant of Russian dressing, and is more mild; the recipe for Thousand Island dressing was first published in 1900. According to EHow.com, despite its name, Russian dressing originated in the United States around the late 1800s, and was more “extravagant” than today’s modern version. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. This article highlights the differences between Russian dressing and Thousand Island. It’s spicier and less sweet than Thousand Island, with a more complex, nuanced je ne sais quoi. Coming from Engineering cum Human Resource Development background, has over 10 years experience in content developmet and management. Eater will be publishing all editions that parse food-related differences, though those hardly scratch the surface of the world’s (and the newsletter’s) curiosities: Sign up to get What’s the Difference? Thousand Island dressing also has a mayonnaise-ketchup (or chili sauce) base; includes pickle relish and/or other chopped vegetables, such as pimientos, olives, and onions; and has some more rogue, recipe-dependent ingredients thrown into the mix, like parsley, chives, or hot sauce. In any case, the creator of the dressing, a man named James E. Colburn of Nashua, New Hampshire (not Russia), sold so much of it that he acquired “a wealth on which he was able to retire.” Jealous. The name comes from the region between northern New York state and southern Ontario, which is where it was invented in around 1900 — most likely at one of the resorts up there that city folk frequented in the summer. • Thousand island has chopped pickles while Russian dressing has horseradish and pimentos. Thousand Island dressing has a similar mayonnaise base; however, additional ingredients include finely chopped vegetables such as pickles, onions and green olives. EHow gave the best explanation that I could find: “A typical Russian dressing has a base of yogurt, mayonnaise, or ketchup. Thousand Island is a salad dressing with a mayonnaise base but the additional ingredients found in this dressing are olives and onions apart from pickles. “Sometimes it’s easier to just make things quickly understandable for the customer, to avoid wasting time explaining things,” Nick Zukin, co-author of The Artisan Jewish Deli at Home, told the Post. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms. Additional spices may be added to alter the flavor, as well as horseradi… If you’ve frequented a salad bar recently — or returned from a quick jaunt from, say, the 1950s — you may recall a bowl or two of pink, florescent dressing with some chopped-up stuff in it. Additional spices may be added to alter the flavor, as well as horseradish, pimentos or chives. Russian dressing is a kind of dressing that is made up of mayonnaise and ketchup with added ingredients such as pimentos, horseradish, chives etc. They both start with mayonnaise and ketchup. Let’s find out. If it wasn’t slapped in a bottle with a label, would you be able to tell the difference? People often confuse between these dressings and call one by the other name. But sadly, according to the Washington Post, “an examination of menus around the country shows that Russian dressing has all but disappeared from America’s national consciousness.” What’s more — and we just love this sort of thing at What’s the Difference HQ — what is actually Russian dressing might now be labeled as Thousand Island. Russian dressing is made with a mayonnaise-ketchup base, often livened up with pickle relish, Worcestershire sauce, prepared horseradish, and lemon juice and seasoned with paprika, onion powder, and/or mustard powder. The big differentiator, however, is the addition of a chopped up hard-boiled egg, which acts as a thickener and binds the ingredients together. Cookies and other tracking technologies this article highlights the differences between Russian and Thousand Island dressing opt-out read. Dressing knew he or she was concocting a spin-off of Russian dressing coming along prior Thousand! 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