Classic French Vinaigrette

Appears in

Professional Garde Manger: A Comprehensive Guide to Cold Food Preparation

By Jaclyn Pestka , Wayne Gisslen and Lou Sackett

Published 2010

About

The best-known and most frequently used vinaigrette dressing is based on a specific combination of flavors from classical French cuisine. The formula for a classic French vinaigrette includes red or white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, salt, minced shallots, a hint of garlic, and a light-colored, light-textured olive oil.

The History of “French” Dressing

In France, the classic simple salad of leafy greens is always tossed with some form of simple vinaigrette. In the 1880s, European chefs introduced vinaigrettes to American restaurants. Before that time, most Americans were familiar only with English-style cream-based salad dressings. The classic French vinaigrette composed of vinegar, olive oil, salt, Dijon mustard, shallot, and garlic became known in the United States as French dressing.

In the 1950s, industrial food producers began to manufacture a highly spiced, sugary-sweet mixture of vegetable oil and distilled white vinegar colored red from both paprika and tomato, and they labeled it “French dressing.” This product remains on supermarket shelves today.

To avoid confusion, it is best to avoid the term French dressing and instead use the word vinaigrette when referring to the classic French formula.