You've probably seen this image, or one like it, on the internet at one time or another. You probably regarded it as a joke, because people do weird things with food for a laugh all the time, right? But no, this is Candle Salad, and it's supposed to resemble a candle with a flame at top and candle wax dripping down the side. Regardless of how prurient it appears, this is a recipe that's been handed down since at least 1916. According to Wikipedia, that's the year it first appeared in a socialite menu. It had no description or menu, but it's pretty easy to see how it is made.
Its preparation is: first arrange a few leaves of lettuce on a plate or decorative napkin, this forms the salad's base. Then stack pineapple rings on top of the lettuce, providing a niche for inserting one whole (or more often half) peeled banana. For garnish, the banana can be topped with choice of cream and a cherry.[1]
There were references to Candle Salad in magazines and cookbooks throughout the 1920s, and then there was a resurgence in the 1950s when it became a children's project, as both a piece of art and a way to get kids to eat fruit. It could be a real hit at your next ladies' luncheon. -via Messy Nessy Chic
(Image credit: Rachel.ehmke)
#food #vintagerecipe #pareidolia
