Salad Olivieh is a chicken and potato salad that has won most if not every Iranian’s heart! To mention Salad Olivieh to an Iranian is to watch an excited smiling face staring back at you and to hear tales of where and how they used to eat this salad. Most of us would have it wrapped in a thin lavash style of bread and eat it as a sandwich.

Salad Olivieh, originally a Russian dish, gained international fame at the turn of the century and became wildly popular. Because of Iran’s proximity to Russia, a number of Russian dishes have found their way to Iran via the Caspian Sea area.

Despite its Russian origin, Salad Olivieh is to Iranians as apple pie is to Americans. Every household has its own unique version, which of course is better than any other. I, of course, can honestly say that my mom’s version is best of all!

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So what exactly is this world-famous Russian dish that has become so well integrated into many cuisines around the globe? Well, essentially it is a potato salad, but with other ingredients added to dial up the flavor, texture, and visual interest. Here are some of the additions that might find their way into the Iranian version:

Carrots, onions, green onions or scallions, chicken, olives, pickles, radishes, celery, green peas, hard-boiled eggs, all sorts of herbs, vinegar, olive oil, and a lot of mayonnaise!

My version is somewhat different from some of the more traditional ones. I have reduced the quantity of potatoes and played up all the other vegetables. With fewer potatoes, I naturally reduced the amount of mayonnaise. In the past, I have sometimes completely eliminated the chicken and added chickpeas instead to make it a satisfying vegetarian meal.

I wonder what ingredients you will choose to put in your Salad Olivieh to make it the best recipe in the world!

Freedom!