also known in Europe as French dressing, is probably the most common dressing for salad (barring commercial preparations) in the western world. It is essentially a ‘mixture’ (inverted commas because oil and vinegar are, strictly speaking, immiscible) of olive or other oil with vinegar (or lemon juice or the like or a combination of some vinegar and some lemon juice), plus salt and pepper and optionally plus herbs, shallot, mustard, etc.
The generally accepted proportion of oil to vinegar is 3 to 1, although some prefer 4 to 1. If lemon juice replaces vinegar, the proportion is closer to 1 to 1. Some authorities recommend that one should begin by dissolving the desired amount of salt in the vinegar, since it will not dissolve in the oil.
The main use of vinaigrette is for green salads, but it is also appropriate for other salads (e.g. a tomato or potato salad), as a dressing for avocado and for artichoke hearts; also with meat preparations such as fromage de tête/head brawn.
When a vinaigrette is destined for a green salad, it must be mixed immediately before the salad is served, and the salad should be tossed by hand without any delay. This is partly because of the problem posed by the immiscibility of oil and vinegar, and partly because the green leaves will wilt after a while under the influence of the dressing.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
