This Iconic Dressing Came From The US, Not Its Namesake Country - Tasting Table

"Contrary to popular belief and the way it evokes sunny, coastal visions, the infamous Italian dressing did not descend from the hills of Tuscany or come together in an Amalfi diner. In fact, it did not even originate from Italy, despite what the name might suggest. Tracing the roots of how it came to be, you will find that the Italian dressing is, in many different ways, an American creation."

"Back in 1948, the Wishbone Restaurant was opened in Kansas City, Missouri, by former U.S. soldier Phillip Sollomi, offering prime ribs, fried chicken, and other classic American favorites. Amongst those dishes is a salad tossed in a zesty, herby vinaigrette dressing - supposedly courtesy of the owner's Italian immigrant mother and her Sicilian family recipe. It became such a wildly successful sensation that Sollomi sold the restaurant in 1952 and switched entirely to manufacturing salad dressing."

"A few years before Wishbone's debut, a Massachusetts-based steakhouse named Ken's Steak House was also selling a similar dressing in 1941. There, Florence Bacigalupo Hanna-the owner's wife and daughter of Italian immigrants-made the sauce from scratch, which was then bottled and sold to grocery stores. In 1958, the couple launched Ken's Foods Inc. in partnership with Frank and Louise Crowley, officially mass-producing the dressing."

Italian dressing originated in the United States rather than Italy. The Wishbone Restaurant in Kansas City, opened in 1948 by former U.S. soldier Phillip Sollomi, served a zesty, herby vinaigrette reportedly based on his Sicilian family recipe. Sollomi sold the restaurant in 1952 and shifted production toward manufacturing and selling the dressing commercially. A similar sauce appeared earlier at Ken's Steak House in Massachusetts, where Florence Bacigalupo Hanna made a from-scratch dressing that was bottled and sold to grocery stores. Ken's Foods Inc. launched in 1958 with partners Frank and Louise Crowley to mass-produce that dressing. The dressing commonly combines oil, vinegar, garlic, and onions and represents an American adaptation of Italian flavors into a versatile vinaigrette.

Read at Tasting Table