TORONTO -- To be eaten at dinner or saved for dessert? Stuffed with shaved carrots or tinned peaches? These are among the many questions that can only be associated with one dish: the jellied salad.
The sugary concoction, made from gelatin stuffed with fruits or vegetables, initially rose to fame in the 1950s and 60s. Christopher White, a church minister from Ontario, said he thought he'd seen the last of jellied salads, once a mainstay at church functions.
But when White started doing some more research, he realized that the jellied salad is not just alive and well — it’s in the midst of a culinary moment.
“I can’t believe this is still out there and it’s still happening,” White told CTV News Channel on Saturday.
White said he realized the famous salad made a comeback when he saw a friend post his favourite comfort food — a jellied salad stuffed with a fruit cocktail — on social media.
Jello salads had been a thing for decades before salad flavoured jello hit the market. We're amazed it took so long! We also reckon that Bloody Mary jello salad was a huge hit at the ladies luncheon when these flavours were released in the 1960's 🤔🥤 - Jell-o ad announcing new celery, mixed vegetable, seasoned tomato and Italian salad flavoured jelly crystals. . . . #jellosalad #foodhistory #aspic #jellysalad #gelatin #foodfacts #vintagead
To his surprise, the jellied salad never left and instead it has evolved.
🌞Good afternoon! 👋👩🍳I made jello fruit salad to go with our lunch today. I will top it with some whipped cream. Yummy! Have a great day friends! 🤗💕 . . . . . . . . . . . #jello #jellosalad #dessert #Saturday #saturdaymorning #Saturdayvibes #momlife #lifestyle #foodphotography #foodie #foodpic #foodlover #food52 #foodiesofinstagram #foodstylingandphotography #foodinstagram #foodinstagram #foodporn #dessertporn #smooth #jiggly #fruits #fruitlover #fruitsalad #houseplants #houseplant #fruitcake #jellomold #yummyinmytummy #homemade #saturdaymood
Instagram users have posted thousands of images of jellied salads stuffed with everything but the kitchen sink. White said the younger generation is using new ingredients and methods to add more layers and put their own spin on the dish.
Retro recipe remake! Remember the lime and lemon Jello salads of the 70’s? This is my Orange Jellied Salad, made with real orange juice (no Jello, no artificial color and no artificial flavor) and it is full of lots of beneficial nutrients. It has a cool and refreshing taste, and I have enjoyed it with a breakfast ham and cheese omelette, but it is great as a lunch or supper salad, and perfect for potlucks. I think it would make a pretty salad for spring, summer and Easter. Breakfast shown on our Royal Doulton 1815 salad plate, also available at the shop. Pick up the recipe in this week’s free edition of the Vermilion Voice, available at the shop or online at the Vermillion Voice web page. . . . . #retrorecipes #jellosalad #food #cooking #entertaining #lloydminster, #lloyd, #decorating, #dawninteriorslloyd, #yll, #dtlloyd, #shoplocal #downtownlloydminster
“It’s different now, and they’re evolving into these beautiful jellied desserts,” he said.
White said he’s noticed some dishes that replace gelatin powder with agar-agar, a seaweed-based gelatin, that serves as a vegan alternative.
White said the “joyfully jiggly” dish originated in the aftermath of the First World War, when — much like these days — home chefs were looking for sources of happiness in the kitchen.
“They’re just fun and we really need some fun right now,” he said.
White admits that jellied salads can be a divisive dish, and that you either love them or you hate them. But he said everyone needs to try the salad at least once.
“Your life is not yet complete until you’ve had the jellied salad,” White said.