Wop Salad
Some people feign outrage at the name given to this salad by Italian immigrant restaurateurs in New Orleans in the early 20th Century.
Of all of the some 400 recipes posted on Kitchen Tapestry since 2009, none received more comments than this recipe that wasn't about the recipe. It was about the name. Those comments have since been deleted after the migration of Kitchen Tapestry to Squarespace in 2024, but I suspect there will be more.
In this age where being offended seems to be a national pastime among the unemployed, the use of this word really got under the skin of a couple of commenters. But on balance, I can say that the comments overall ran positive 4:1 and are perhaps best summed up with this one:
November 18, 2023
I am a 2nd generation Sicilian in my late 70s. My grandparents immigrated to this country via Ellis Island in the early 1900s. They settled in New Orleans. Eventually they opened a restaurant that was wildly popular for many years. They had Wop Salad on the menu. They were not offended by the term, neither was the rest of the family and nor am I. In fact, I continue to use the term today as Wop Salad is my favorite. All of these “outraged” commentators can pound sand. - Jim LaRocca
The term 'Wop" is an outdated pejorative word for an Italian, in vogue primarily in the early 20th Century when there were waves of Italian immigrants coming into the US. And therein lies a tale about the origin of this word. Many people think “Wop” is an acronym for "Without Papers." Never mind that "without" is one word; and never mind that virtually all Italian immigrants of the 19th and 20th Century came through Ellis Island and would, indeed, have “papers.”
But let's not let logic and facts get in the way with common misconceptions.
The fact is that the word, "Wop" is a contraction for the Neapolitan word "guappo" or "guap" for short. It was used to describe, often sarcastically, those young native men who try too hard to act brave, play cool, impress the girls, act arrogant and pick fights. In the U.S. parlance of the '50s, we would simply call them punks.
The Salad Originated in New Orleans in Italian Restaurants Owned by Italian Immigrants
"Wop Salad” became popular with Sicilian immigrants to New Orleans by at least 1930. It was a longtime favorite dish on Creole-Italian menus across the Crescent City and expanded across the southern US. The salad can contain ingredients such as anchovies, celery, bell peppers, olives, onions, garlic, Gorgonzola cheese, capers, Mozzarella cheese, sliced salami, olive oil, and vinegar. It was very popular throughout Texas until 1970, especially in cities such as Corpus Christi, Austin and San Antonio.
Nobody in Texas or New Orleans, and certainly not Italian-Americans, seemed to mind the term at least as applied to this dish, which would probably still be on restaurant menus under its old name if it weren't for out-of-towners who were kind enough to point out that this word is an ethnic slur. Accordingly, the dish's name has been changed on most menus to "Italian Salad" or "Anti-Pasta Salad."
Political correctness, it seems, invades our First Amendment rights almost everywhere, including recipe names. But I was never one for political correctness. If someone is offended at this word and therefore demands I stop using it, despite the fact I am not using it in a deprecating, degrading or inflammatory way, my rebuttal is, as Mr. LaRocca wrote, “pound sand.”
Traditionally, the Wop Salad was dressed with only olive oil and red wine vinegar, but if you would like a little more panache, either Kitchen Tapestry recipes for Fennel Dressing or Italian Vinaigrette work quite well with this salad, and I use them interchangeably. Both recipes are included below.
This salad is particularly good when served as a side dish to a thick, char-grilled, ribeye steak.
Wop Salad
Ingredients
- 1 medium head of Iceberg lettuce
- 4-5 green onions, chopped
- 3 medium tomatoes, cut into 6-8 wedges each
- 1 small green bell pepper, diced
- 1 medium cucumber, sliced (peeled or unpeeled as preferred)
- 1/2 of a 3.5-oz jar of nonpareil capers, drained (like Crosse & Blackwell)
- 1 5-oz package Gorgonzola cheese (like, Treasure Cave)
- 4 tbsp green olives, chopped
- 1 2-oz can of rolled or flat filets of anchovies, drained (like, King Oscar)
- 1/2 cup of either Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Fennel Dressing or Italian Vinaigrette
- 4-8 whole pepperoncini peppers for garnish (like, Mazzetta)
Instructions
- Mix the lettuce, green onions, tomatoes, bell pepper and cucumber in a metal mixing bowl, toss well, and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
- Make the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for either Fennel Dressing or Italian Vinaigrette.
- When ready to serve, add the Gorgonzola, olive, capers and anchovies to the salad. Toss. Then add the salad dressing and toss again.
- Serve in large, chiller salad bowls and garnish with 1-2 whole pepperoncini peppers.
Salad Dressing Repository - Fennel Dressing
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 1tbsp dried mustard (like, Coleman's)
- 1 tbsp fennel seed, ground
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/8 cup dried parsley
- 1/16 tsp sea salt
- 7-8 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
Instructions
- Grind the fennel seed in a spice grinder.
- Place all ingredients except the oils in a mixing bowl and whisk vigorously to combine.
- Add the oils a little at a time while whisking constantly until an emulsion is formed and the oil and vinegar do not separate.
- Allow the dressing to rest a room temperature for an minutes before adding to the salad.
Salad Dressing Repository - Italian Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (like, Kraft green can)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasonings (basil, oregano, thyme, parsley)
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/3 cup olive oil
Instructions
- Place all ingredients except the oil in a mixing bowl and whisk vigorously to combine.
- Add the oil a little at a time while whisking constantly until an emulsion is formed and the oil and vinegar do not separate.
- Allow the dressing to rest a room temperature for an hour before adding to the salad.
