Watergate Salad Recipe - Retro Recipe 1975
Pistachio Pineapple Delight Recipe by Kraft - Food Recipe Mystery
Sep 7, 2009
When Kraft Foods began marketing a new pistachio instant pudding in 1975, they developed a dessert recipe called Pistachio Pineapple Delight. On the company phone lines, home cooks began asking for the Watergate Salad recipe. It did not take long for Kraft to figure out what callers were wanting and that many were using the company recipe as a dessert rather than a salad.
Who Came Up with the Name – Watergate Salad?
Rumor has it that a food writer in Chicago dubbed the pistachio pudding recipe “Watergate Salad” to generate more interest. After all, the Watergate scandal was big news at the time and culminated with the resignation of President Richard Nixon in 1974. The chilled salad recipe included nuts, and it certainly appeared that the top government officials at the time were pretty nutty. Food historians have, however, never been able to find a recipe listing or food writer to claim the naming of the delightful green pistachio pudding recipe.
Is Watergate Salad a Salad or a Dessert?
Watergate Salad is a light, fluffy mixture that works well as a side dish or as a dessert. It’s sweet but not overly so and provides a nice contrast at holiday meals featuring turkey or ham or on the dessert table as a lighter tasting option to richer cakes and pies. In either case, the dish is identifiable by its interesting pale green color.
There are many variations of the Watergate Salad as the years have passed, but this is a pretty classic recipe version of the oddly named retro dish.
Watergate Salad Recipe
Ingredients:
- 2 small packs of Jell-O Pistachio Pudding (four serving size boxes)
- 1 can crushed pineapple (20 oz)
- 3 cups miniature marshmallows
- 1 tub Cool Whip (12 oz)
- ½ cup pecans (chopped)
Directions:
- Pour the dry Jell-O Pistachio Pudding powder in a bowl. Add the marshmallows.
- Drain the pineapple but save the juice. Add the pineapple to the pudding mixture and pour in ¼ cup of pineapple juice. You may want to add more juice. If you pour in all the juice, then the salad is pretty runny. Many recipes call for pouring in the pineapple without draining and adding juice to taste which doesn’t make much sense. The key to having the salad turn out great is in controlling the juice, so drain the pineapple and then add juice to the desired consistency.
- Fold the Cool Whip in. Don’t stir hard or use a mixer. Just mix until the flavors and color are blended.
- Then fold in the nuts.
- Chill for an hour or two before serving.
More Classic Salad Recipes:
Cranberry Salad - Great for holiday gatherings, this salad featuring cranberries is pretty and tastes great.
Raw Vegetable Salad - Cabbage and lettuce are combined for a crisp and refreshing side dish that's sure to please.
Old Fashioned Shredded Carrot Salad - Another blast from the past, this recipe is a good way to serve carrots.
Super Easy Pasta Salad - Don't have much time? This tasty salad is really easy to put together.
Red Potato Salad with Oil Based Dressing - Enjoy a potato salad that's lighter than the traditional potato salads with mayonnaise.
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