Egg Salad is Old-fashioned Good Eats

Egg salad is not fancy or aristocratic. It’s not sexy nor is it particularly attractive. Classic egg salad is yellow and served on white bread, and it is my all-time favorite comfort food in sandwich form. It also has a few roots in working-class America. 

Egg salad sandwiches were a staple at my grandma’s house and something that often graced the lunch table at home, too. It’s simple yet satisfying and has a few “good for you” qualities as well. My recipe is basic but it’s nostalgic and sometimes that’s what a girl needs. 

So, where did the egg salad sandwich come from, anyhow?

The earliest recipe for an egg (salad) sandwich that’s I’ve been able to track down is in an 1891 edition of the Pittsburgh Dispatch hidden in an article about Western hunters! The sandwich is described as “hard-boiled eggs chopped and laid between bread and butter” ^[1]Few Agree with Western Hunters. (1891, May 31). The Pittsburgh Dispatch, pp. 20. I’m sure that would keep an 1891 Western hunter full for a long while!  

For a recipe closer to what we eat today, I had to wait until 1899. The Journal News in Hamilton, Ohio lists egg salad as part of their daily menu suggestion. A recipe is also given that uses butter instead of today’s mayonnaise as well as chicken ^[2]Menu for Thursday. (1899, Feb 8). The Journal News, pp. 3 . Variations of egg salad sandwiches dot newspapers throughout the next century, coming into popularity with the onset of high protein diets. 

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Old-Fashioned Egg Salad

Recipe by Niki Davis with Rooted in Foods

Course: Lunch, Main, SaladsCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Classic egg salad for sandwiches.

Servings

Adjust servings

+

–

6

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

5

minutes

Total time

5

minutes

Ingredients

• 8 hard cooked eggs, peeled and chopped

• 3 tablespoons mayonnaise

• 2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish

• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon dried dill

• salt and pepper to taste

Get Recipe Ingredients

Directions

• Combine all ingredients in a mixing bowl and mix until just incorporated.

Notes

• I prefer this on toasted bread. In the summer, when I have fresh tomatoes, I’ll add a sliced tomato to the sandwich. You can, however, eat this with Ritz crackers for a snack!

Nutrition Facts

• Serving Size: 1 serving
• Total number of serves: 6
• Calories: 159kcal
• Fat: 12.4g
• Saturated Fat: 3g
• Cholesterol: 252mg
• Sodium: 389mg
• Potassium: 96mg
• Carbohydrates: 2.8g
• Sugar: 2.3g
• Protein: 8.6g
• Vitamin A: 21.2mcg
• Calcium: 39mg
• Iron: 1mg
• Vitamin D: 1.5mcg
• Vitamin E: 1mg
• Vitamin K: 15.8mcg
• Thiamin: 0.1mg
• Riboflavin: 0.4mg
• Vitamin B6: 0.1mg
• Vitamin B12: 0.8mcg
• Folate: 29.9mcg
• Pantothenic Acid: 1mg
• Phosphorus: 120mg
• Magnesium: 9mg
• Zinc: 1mg
• Selenium: 21.5mcg

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