The story
Olivier salad is named after Lucien Olivier, a chef of French descent who ran the Hermitage, one of Moscow's most fashionable restaurants, from the 1860s. His salad, built on luxuries such as hazel grouse and crayfish in a Provençal-style dressing, became the house signature, and he is said to have kept the exact recipe to himself. Legend has it that a sous-chef, Ivan Ivanov, spied on him and later served a copy called Stolichny salad. After the Hermitage closed and the revolution came, cheaper ingredients took over: potatoes, pickles, peas, eggs and mayonnaise. Soviet cookbooks made it a New Year's essential, and abroad it became known as Russian salad.
Also known as Russian salad, салат Оливье, salat Olivye, Stolichny salad, ensaladilla rusa.
On the Meridish menu
Olivier salad was the starter course on menu No. 31 on October 31, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Diced potato, pickles, peas, egg and meat bound in mayonnaise, a New Year's Eve must. A star chef created it at a fashionable restaurant here in the 1860s and kept the recipe secret.
In Meridish, every dish is pinned to the town or city most widely credited with creating it. A guess within 25 km scores all 100 points. How scoring works.
Sources
Food history is often disputed. Think we've pinned it in the wrong place? Tell us at hello@meridish.com, ideally with a source.
