Something strange is afoot in America, and it appears it's been happening for quite some time. There's a strange game at play, by which desserts convince us that they are actually salads. Apparently this has been happening for quite some time, from the South, to the Midwest, to Utah. Earth to America: "dessert salad" is not actually salad.
You've probably encountered a dessert salad, even if you didn't realize that that's what you were facing. You may have thought it was dessert. You may have thought it was Jell-O. You may have ignored it altogether because it was green and creamy. If you or someone you love actually believes that any of the following count as a salad course, we've got a bowl of arugula to feed you.
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1
Ambrosia Salad
To us, this is the O.G. of salads that aren't really salads. Usually containing some combination of mini marshmallows, mandarin oranges (from a can, thank you) and whipped topping, you've probably met an ambrosia before. This may have had its origins in the American South, but somehow it migrated throughout the entire country.
2
Jell-O Salad
Jell-O salad is amazing because it is kind of a shapeshifter. You can suspend everything from canned pineapple to green olives to hot dogs in it, and someone will inevitably refer to it as "salad."
3
Cookie Salad
Yes, you read that correctly -- cookie salad. Comprised of (you guessed it!) cookies, vanilla pudding, whipped topping and mandarin oranges, we've heard claims that this "salad" belongs to Minnesota (even though the one Minnesotan we asked had never heard of it).
Minnesotans, you claiming this one?
Minnesotans, you claiming this one?
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4
Coca-Cola Salad
Rebecca Orchant/The Huffington Post
This combination of Jell-O, Coca-Cola, maraschino cherries and more can probably be traced to the American South. We made one. Things got weird.
5
Frogeye Salad
Frogeye salad (or frog's eye salad) appears to hail from Utah. It is so-named because it's made with tiny, round acini di pepe pasta and some combination of mandarin oranges, canned pineapple, and whipped topping or condensed milk.
6
Glorified Rice
Another one of Minnesota's gifts to America, glorified rice is glorified by -- as you may have guessed -- crushed pineapple and whipped cream.
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7
Seafoam Salad
You can thank the Woolworth's lunch counter for seafoam salad's existence. This combination of green Jell-O, cream cheese, pears and whipped cream is usually studded with maraschino cherries.
8
Snickers Salad
Snickers salad. Go ahead and take that idea in. This is a "salad" that includes chopped up Snickers bars in its ingredient list, in addition to Granny Smith apples and whipped cream. At least there are apples, we suppose.
9
Watergate Salad
Watergate salad is sort of like ambrosia, except that it includes pistachio pudding. Oh, also it has the craziest name of any salad ever. Legends about the origins of the name vary, but we like to imagine (for no historical reason whatsoever) that it's what President Nixon turned to for comfort after he was found out for his role in the Watergate scandal.
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