See the WORLD'S OLDEST Salad Dressing

These are pictures of the World's Oldest salad dressing! The first is a 16 fluid ounce bottle of Russian Creamy Dressing from Seven Seas®. The second flavor is not known exactly because the main front and back labels are missing. It is thought to be a 12 fluid ounce bottle of French Creamy Dressing from Pfeiffer®. Both bottles expired in March of 1976! Both bottles remain unopened.

The Origin of the Bottles

The bottles were recovered in their current state circa 1991 from the kitchen refrigerator of the house at 124 Walnut Street in Dedham -Home of "Champions", Massachusetts, 02026 (USA) during a what would otherwise be considered a routine "cleaning". All food products were removed from the refrigerator before the cleaning process. Before returning each food item back to the refrigerator in its cleaned state, the expiry date of each was read. Those food items whose expiration date had passed were not returned to the refrigerator. The cleaner (myself) recognized the value of the precious, perhaps antique, food items and has kept them in storage ever since!

Here is a picture showing the back sides of each bottle of salad dressing. Note that the contents of the bottles have separated during the aging process. This is especially revealed in the bottle to the right. The back label of the Russian Seven Seas® bottle has the following printed material:

"A thick and creamy Russian dressing ... with a special blend of herbs and spices. Your family will love it mixed with cream cheese and used as a dip or as a spread on celery pieces."
INGREDIENTS: SOYBEAN OIL, VINEGARS, TOMATO PASTE, WATER, SUGAR, SALT, DRIED BELL PEPPERS AND ONION, SPICES, POLYSORBATE 60 (IMPROVES CREAMINESS), XANTHAN GUM (IMPROVES POURABILITY), POTASSIUM SORBATE AND SORBIC ACID (PRESERVATIVES), FLAVORING, CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA (A PRESERVATIVE).
Anderson Clayon Foods, Div. Anderson, Clayton, & Co. Dallas, Texas, 75250.

Fortunately, the expiry dates on both bottles are still preserved today. The expiration date of the Seven Seas Russion® salad dressing is 17 March 1976 giving it the distinction of being the world's oldest bottle of salad dressing -a distinction which is shared with the other bottle (below). Please see the picture to the right for a close up of the expiry date.

The bottle of Russian Seven Seas® salad dressing cost 79 US cents.

The Missing Bottle

There actually used to be a 3^rd bottle of salad dressing that expired in 1973! However, I have no recollection as to what happened to that bottle.

The World's Oldest Salad Dressing

Do you know someone that claims to hold the world record for the oldest salad dressing? If so, please send mail to rlaramee "at" yahoo.com. For questions, comments, or suggestions please send email to rlaramee "at" yahoo.com. We would love to hear from you!

Acknowledgements

Thanks to Phil Rhodes for the excellent photography of the salad dressing bottles. Thanks to Andy Baldman for helping to recognize the significance of these historic items. And of course thanks to my family formerly at 124 Walnut Street in The Home of "Champions" for cultivating this piece of history through the preservation of these precious food sources.

Related Links

Shelf-Life of Food in Cupboard Is Long but Still Limited by Tim Roberts, "An unopened bottle of salad dressing can be stored for ten to twelve months. Once opened, however, it should be refrigerated and can be kept for three months." (Thanks for the link Tom!)