Ambrosia Salad Recipe - The Seasoned Mom (2024)

FAQs

What are the main ingredients in ambrosia salad? ›

The best Ambrosia Salad recipe is made with pineapple, mandarin oranges, yogurt, mini marshmallows, coconut and whipped cream. This easy side dish has a delicious tropical sweetness and is always a crowd favorite!

Most ambrosia recipes contain canned (often sweetened) or fresh pineapple, canned mandarin orange slices or fresh orange sections, miniature marshmallows, and coconut. Other ingredients might include various fruits and nuts: maraschino cherries, bananas, strawberries, peeled grapes, or crushed pecans.

The once hard-to-find ingredients were considered luxurious and exotic. The salad was a treat reserved for holidays and other special occasions, and named “ambrosia” after the food of the Greek and Roman gods. But it wasn't until the early 20th century that ambrosia as we know it came to be.

Ambrosia is an attractive medium-sized apple, with a pink-tinged orange/red flush over a yellow background. As such it is very much in tune with the modern preference for "bi-coloured" apples.

“There's so many different ways to do it,” Pelosi said of ambrosia salad. “I make it the way that my family made it, which doesn't have marshmallows because we didn't like them.” Ambrosia was so named for the food of the Greek and Roman gods. Its region of origin is lost to history.

Ambrosia Salad Tastes Like Coconut, Watergate Salad Tastes Like Pistachio. One of the first things that sets ambrosia and Watergate salads apart is the flavor profile of each dish. Watergate salad uses a pistachio instant pudding packet and often calls for additional garnishings of pistachio on top.

Ambrosia apples are sweet and honey-like, and sweet apples are great for eating out of hand. They also do not turn brown easily when cut, making them a great salad or snack apple.

Phytonutrients have been linked to general disease prevention, improved digestive health, reduction of inflammation, increased cognitive health, and overall longevity. Ambrosia apples contain several phytonutrients in the form of polyphenols and flavonoids (often celebrated for their antioxidant properties).

Aptly named after 'the food of gods' in Greek mythology, Ambrosia was founded in 1917 by Alfred Morris to make dried infant milk from the tasty and nutritious milk of Devonshire cows.

Syndicated household advice columnists Anne Adams and Nan Nash-Cummings, in their "Anne & Nan" column of October 9, 1997, reported that name came from the similar "Watergate Cake" (which shares most of the same ingredients): "The recipes came out during the Watergate scandal.

Where is ambrosia salad popular? ›

Ambrosia means "food of the gods." In Greek and Roman mythology, it referred to magical victuals with the power to bestow immortality on anyone who tasted them. But that was a long time ago in a magical kingdom far, far away. Today, as most food historians agree, ambrosia belongs to the South.

However, the first recorded reference to ambrosia salad was in an 1867 cookbook written by Maris Massey Barringer of Concord, North Carolina. Her recipe called for just grated coconuts, sugar, and pulped oranges.

In Greek mythology, ambrosia was the food of the gods. At a picnic, ambrosia is a dessert made with oranges and shredded coconut. While the former bestowed immortality on all who ate it, the latter tastes very refreshing after fried chicken and potato salad.

A fruit salad is sometimes known as a fruit co*cktail (often connoting a canned product), or fruit cup (when served in a small container). There are many types of fruit salad, ranging from the basic (no nuts, marshmallows, or dressing) to the moderately sweet (Waldorf salad) to the sweet (ambrosia salad).

The original recipe consisted only of diced red-skinned apples, celery, and mayonnaise. Chopped walnuts were added later to this now American classic.

Beat cream cheese and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Mix in whipped topping on high speed until incorporated. Fold in pineapple, fruit co*cktail, bananas, apple, coconut, pecans, raisins, and cherries. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.

Dessert salads are usually sweet and often contain fruits, sweetened gelatin, nuts, cream, and whipped cream. Waldorf salad is a popular dessert salad.