Watergate Salad (1970s)
Try this fluffy green blast from the past! With whipped topping, pistachio pudding and marshmallows, the most "salad" you'll get out of this dish is probably the pineapple. But it sure makes a great dessert!
Ingredients
- 1 Box Pistachio Instant Pudding Mix 3.4 oz.
- 1 Can Crushed Pineapple 20 oz., Undrained
- 1/2 C Chopped Nuts Pecans or Walnuts
- 1 C Mini Marshmallows
- 1 3/4 C Whipped Topping 4 oz.
- 9 Maraschino Cherries (Optional)
- Extra Whipped Topping
Instructions
- Do not make the pudding. You only want the powdered mix.1 Box Pistachio Instant Pudding Mix
- Mix the pudding with the pineapple (including the juice) until thoroughly blended. The pudding should start thickening pretty quickly.1 Can Crushed Pineapple
- Mix in the nuts and marshmallows1/2 C Chopped Nuts, 1 C Mini Marshmallows
- Fold in the whipped topping until mixed through.1 3/4 C Whipped Topping
- You can serve this "salad" right away, but it tastes best if allowed to chill at least a half hour. Serve in half cup portions, topped with extra cool whip and a cherry (optional).9 Maraschino Cherries, Extra Whipped Topping
This salad that isn’t really a salad also has nothing to do with the Watergate Scandal (though it is surrounded by nearly as much mystery). What seems to be most true is that it was created by General Foods in 1975 as a reason to use their Cool Whip and pistachio-flavored Jell-O pudding. Pineapple also seemed pretty popular in that decade, so it must have been a no-brainer. The recipe was originally called “Pistachio Pineapple Delight” but is rumored to have become “Watergate Salad” when it was renamed in a food column to drum up reader interest. But…neither the article or its writer can be found. Go figure.
The “salad” has been served at the Watergate Hotel, though, and was apparently pretty popular around Washington DC for a while.