Remembering Grandma’s Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipes

Question

My grandmother used to make a Creamy Cucumber Salad with sour cream, apple cider vinegar, spring onions, dill, salt and white pepper. I swear she also used cream of tartar in her dressing but I cannot for the life of me remember if that’s correct and cannot find anything online that would include that ingredient. Would this be something she would do?

702551 · Answer

The cream of tartar isn't necessary. Maybe your grandmother added it out of habit for its stabilizing properties.

You don't need to go very far to find this recipe. A near spot-on match is in the Fannie Farmer Cookbook which probably means a similar dish is in the other American classic The Joy of Cooking.

The Fannie Farmer version does *NOT* call for cream of tartar.

KLS · Answer

We had a "family" recipe growing up that was thinly sliced cucumbers, thinly sliced onions that were salted down and the moisture squeezed out. Then, a "dressing" was made of sourcream, sugar and vinegar.
I imagne that the cream of tartar might have been a subsitute for the vinegar. I'm making it tomorrow

HalfPint · Answer

As to the cream of tartar question: I don't see the need for it in a salad dressing that already has an acid (apple cider vinegar). Cream of tartar is used to stabilize meringues, prevent sugar crystallization, and as leavener in baked goods.

I would make a recipe as directed and see if that tastes like what grandma made.

HalfPint · Answer

Was your grandma Russian? Because that sounds like a something my Russian friends would make. I would look in Russian recipes. And maybe Swiss recipes.

Nancy · Answer

There are a few YouTube channels that focus on food history - they are a possible source.

Also look at web pages of recipes from certain decades or eras. If you know your grandmother’s dates look for recipes in her first 20 years and maybe 20 years before to get the previous generation.

Remembering Grandma’s Creamy Cucumber Salad Recipes

5 Comments

Popular on Food52