Meet Salad Cream: The British Condiment That Gives Mayo a Run for Its Money

Is it mayonnaise? Is it salad dressing? It's a little bit of both.

If you’ve visited the U.K. lately (or a supermarket with a well-stocked British section in the international aisle), chances are you’ve seen a bottle of salad cream on the condiment shelf. Though it sounds familiar, where it fits in the condiment conversation is a bit more confusing. Is it mayonnaise? Is it salad dressing? The simple answer is that it’s a little bit of both. And just like mayo, there are just as many devoted fans as haters. Read on to learn more about this creamy condiment and how to use it if you’d like to give it a try.

When Was Salad Cream Invented?

Salad cream was first produced by the Heinz company in the U.K. in 1914. While Heinz is known almost exclusively for ketchup in the U.S., they have a long history of making all kinds of products in Great Britain, from canned beans to horseradish, pickles, and spices. When it first debuted, salad cream was mixed and packed by hand. Employees had a quota of 180 jars to meet each day. A few years later, Heinz considered discontinuing the condiment, but public outcry led them to rebrand it instead. By 2017, salad cream was the fifth best-selling condiment in the UK.

What’s the Difference Between Salad Cream and Mayonnaise?

Think of salad cream as a looser, tangier version of mayonnaise. Both are made with egg yolks and oil. The big difference is that while mayo mainly uses oil to make the emulsion, salad cream uses water, vinegar, and a bit more egg yolk. This makes salad cream lighter (it has about half the calories and a third of the fat), runnier, and more vinegar-forward compared to mayonnaise. Miracle Whip is the American version of salad cream, usually marketed as a lighter version of mayo.

What’s the Difference Between Salad Cream and Ranch?

Ranch dressing is a salad dressing that uses mayonnaise as a base. Garlic, onion, mustard, herbs, and spices are then added for zestiness, along with buttermilk to make it more pourable. Salad cream doesn’t have additional seasonings, making it more like mayonnaise. One similarity is how it’s used: Brits will dunk their fries and pizza crusts in salad cream just like Americans do with ranch dressing.

How to Use Salad Cream

Salad cream can be used much like you’d use mayonnaise. Add it to coleslaw, potato salad, or tuna or egg salad. Use it like tartar sauce, as a dip for fish sticks, or on a crispy fish sandwich. You can add it to a sandwich (a sarnie, as they call it in the UK) or to top a baked potato. The key, especially when dressing a salad, is to reduce the amount of vinegar and lemon you’d normally add since the condiment is already tangy. 

Read the original article on All Recipes.