This week we’re looking at salads and dressings from the 1951 spiral-bound cookbook published by the Women’s Society of Christian Service at the Oak Park Methodist Church in Flint, Michigan. There are a lot of gelatin “salads’ in this part of the book. Interesting recipe titles include:
- Main Dish Salad
- Golden Dressing
- Ginger Ale Salad
- Flower Salad
- Grape Cluster Salad
- Christmas Cranberry Salad
- Dill Pickle Relish or Salad
- Brazilian Salad
- Heavenly Hash Salad
That “Grape Cluster Salad” reminds me of the infamous Candle Salad without the erotic imagery. That Candle Salad is a peeled banana standing up straight. It’s supported by a pineapple ring and topped with one maraschino cherry. Early versions included a dressing of sorts that was supposed to resemble melting candle wax.
The Grape Cluster Salad is a pear, covered with Philadelphia Cream Cheese, then topped with cut red grapes. Essentially, a pear masquerading as a cluster of grapes. You’re even supposed to “place a bit of grape stem in the large end of each pear.”
What’s up with making food resemble other food? It’s a thing.
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