Vinegar and oil was probably the first salad dressing. To this day in restaurants, we serve vinegar and oil for salads in special containers called cruets. You know, those short containers with a narrow neck and a flat bottom? They have a very long history.
They used to be a sort of earthen pot that held liquids of all kinds. In fact, the Catholic Church still uses special cruets for water and wine. But for salad dressing, cruets weren’t popularized until the 17th century. Cardinal Mazarin, an Italian, is said to have kept two cruets of oil and vinegar on his dining table in France for dressing his salads. We don’t know if he originated the practice or if he just made it really popular, but the taste spread rapidly for this combination. Today in Italy and Portugal, vinegar and oil is the preferred salad dressing.
Some cruets are very decorative, but for a restaurant they need to be easy to use, easy to fill, and look attractive. Most restaurant cruets are made of glass to show off the color of the vinegar and oil and for ease of cleaning. Take a look at our cruet selection at this page and step up your restaurant’s salad game in the footsteps of a cardinal.
