Cucumber Jelly

“Are you trying to kill me? This is terrible!”

A Trusted Taster

Cucumber Jelly
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
½ cup cold water
2 ½ cups chicken stock
Sprig of parsley
¼ cup grated onion
2 cups cucumber, peeled and grated
Green and red food coloring
Mayonnaise

Add the onion, parsley and cucumber to the chicken stock and let stand two hours. Soak gelatin in the cold water five minutes. Heat the chicken stock and ingredients to boiling point and add the softened gelatin. Color with approximately 1.5 drops of green food coloring. Let stand a few minutes and pour in mold to set. Serve with mayonnaise dressing which has been colored pink with the red food coloring or beet juice.

Original Recipe
Charles B. Knox Gelatine Co.’s Dainty Desserts for Dainty People, c. 1920

1 envelope Knox Sparkling Gelatine.
½ cup cold water.
2 ½ cups chicken stock.
Sprig of parsley.
½ small onion grated.
3 cucumbers pared and grated.

Add the onion, parsley and cucumbers to the chicken stock and let stand two hours. Soak gelatine in the cold water five minutes. Heat the chicken stock and ingredients to boiling point and add the softened gelatine. Color with green coloring. Let stand a few minutes and pour in mold to set. Serve with mayonnaise dressing which has been colored with a pink color tablet or beet juice.

Comments: If you “came here for the comments,” you have the right idea! This colorful, savory side in the shape of a Christmas wreath went right from the test kitchen into the garbage disposal.

While I thought that this salad was only mildly offensive, my tasters had more dramatic reactions. Dinnertime was thrown into chaos as they questioned whether I loved them and considered reporting me for abuse. Some refused to swallow the salad, while others threatened to never taste anything else I made again. Their objections and complaints continued for some time as we laughed our way through the unpleasant experience.

So, why the fuss? The predominant flavors of this salad are chicken stock and onion, which, by themselves, are not completely objectionable, but the addition of the softened cucumber creates a texture that is foreign to the modern palate. There’s also the element of an unwanted surprise. For those more familiar with sweet, brightly-colored gelatin deserts, the addition of food coloring to both the gelatin and mayonnaise might be considered deceptive. The savory taste is unexpected and therefore undesired.

Yet, this salad has so much potential! For food historians, it provides some insight into what might have been served for dinner in the 1920s, but it leaves modern cooks with several unanswered questions: What inspired the use of green and pink dye? Why combine chicken stock and cucumber? Was this a popular salad? I’m curious to know whether it ever appeared on restaurant menus!

The real question is how to make this salad appetizing. I can think of only one solution: remove the chicken stock, onion, parsley, and cucumber and replace it with lime juice and a bit of sugar, while substituting pink whipped cream for the colorful mayonnaise. Then the salad’s transformation from savory to sweet would be complete.

Verdict: I am always grateful for my tasting team, especially when their reactions and comments make me laugh, but I can’t suggest that you willingly abuse your family and friends. Make this if you like your salads weird and you prefer to eat alone.