The story
The Waldorf salad comes from the Waldorf Hotel on Fifth Avenue in New York City, which opened in 1893 and later merged into the Waldorf-Astoria. Its famous maître d'hôtel, the Swiss-born Oscar Tschirky, is credited with the recipe, and the usual story says it was first served at a charity ball for St. Mary's Hospital for Children in March 1896. Food historians have found the name in print as early as 1894, when it was already being copied by home cooks. The original was simply apples and celery in mayonnaise, as printed in Oscar's own 1896 cookbook. Walnuts arrived soon after.
Also known as Waldorf-Astoria salad, apple celery walnut salad.
On the Meridish menu
Waldorf salad was the starter course on menu No. 12 on October 12, 2026. Its clue in the game, which hints at the place without naming it:
Apples, celery and mayonnaise, with walnuts added later. A Swiss-born maître d'hôtel made it famous at a grand hotel here in the 1890s.
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.
