Ambrosia salad evokes memories of the ‘Old South’

When is the last time you had a nibble of ambrosia salad, one of the classic “Southern foods” that’s been around forever? 

To some, Ambrosia is considered an “ancient food of the Greek gods,” while others say it’s “the ungodly food of the ancients?” It depends on your individual taste buds.

 

You used to be able to find the fruity ambrosia side dish on the cafeteria line, either among the salads or with the desserts…based on the composition of the “creamed sauce” that holds it together.

 

Robert Moss of Charleston, S.C., a food and beverage historian, has done a lot of research on ambrosia. He is a frequent contributor to Serious Eats, which is part of the Dotdash online publishing group. 

Robert

He wrote recently: “The earliest written reference to ambrosia is in an 1867 cookbook that was written by Maria Amanda Massey Barringer of Concord, N.C.” 

She made “basic ambrosia” with coconut, sugar and oranges. Add other ingredients as available. With ambrosia, you simply can’t go wrong, and you can get creative to the nth degree. Use fresh fruit, canned fruit or a mixture. 

Moss pictures a big bowl of ambrosia that also includes pineapple, pecans, mini-marshmallows and red maraschino cherries.

 

Ambrosia is full of ingredients Southerners love, but how and why did it become a Southern tradition? 

Moss said it’s because Southerners love to socialize, and ambrosia became a favorite dish for large family gatherings and church potluck suppers – cool and refreshing. Ambrosia is a dish that appeals to both kids and grownups. 

“During the 20th century, cooks began incorporating sweeter components, and none was more transformative than the marshmallow,” he said. 

“Around World War I, Stephen F. Whitman & Son of Philadelphia introduced ‘Marshmallow Whip,’ a jarred marshmallow product that they advertised widely. In 1926, Whitman’s product appeared in a series of syndicated columns providing recipes that incorporated Marshmallow Whip,” Moss said.

 

“One of them was for ambrosia, with ‘marshmallow whipped cream,’ which was a heaping tablespoon of Marshmallow Whip beaten with one egg white. Coconut is conspicuously missing from Whitman’s recipe.” For better or worse? 

Contemporary chefs have added all sorts of different items from the produce section, including bananas, red grapes, grapefruit, dates, papayas, peaches, pears, strawberries, kumquats, celery, avocado, cucumber, mango and even jackfruit. 

What gives ambrosia personality is not so much the variety of fruits in the bowl, but rather, it’s the type of creamy sauce the food preparer chooses. 

An impressive panel of Southern food experts was consulted. Common choices for the sauce include sour cream, heavy cream, whipped cream, yogurt, frozen whipped topping, mayonnaise, buttermilk and cream cheese. 

Chef Edward Lee of Louisville, Ky., uses buttermilk and sour cream, adding blue cheese to form what he terms the “dressing.” 

Brandie Skibinski of Norfolk, Va., creator of “The Country Cook” blog, said her ambrosia recipe calls for a tangy combination of frozen whipped topping and sour cream.

 

Brandie

Christin Mahrlig of Fort Mill, S.C., is the owner of “Spicy Southern Kitchen. Her go-to ambrosia sauce is three parts heavy cream/one part sour cream. 

At “Add a Pinch,” Robyn Stone of Carrollton, Ga., goes with frozen whipped topping, adding a splash of vanilla. 

Southern ambrosia has an international fan base. Claudia McNeilly of Postmedia Network in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, said: 

“Beyond the various recipes, each ambrosia salad offers the same feeling: The quiet thrill of knowing you’re about to do something you shouldn’t, followed by pure, sticky bliss as you place that first goopy spoonful into your mouth.”