The History of Seven-Layer Salad

For the uninitiated, seven-layer salad is exactly what it sounds like: a salad dish arranged in seven layers. It typically includes lettuce, tomatoes, onions, peas, bacon bits, shredded cheese, and a mayonnaise dressing, and it is always served in a glass serving bowl so that the layers can be clearly seen. The recipe dates back to the 1950s, when it was known as “seven-layer pea salad,” and it is widely thought to have originated in the South, but we don’t know much more about its origins. The dish was wildly popular at potlucks and dinner parties in the South and the Midwest from the 1950s through the 1970s. The flexible recipe allowed home cooks to show off their creativity and meant that each person's version of the dish was a little bit different. However, by the 1980s, its popularity began to decline as the novelty of the dish wore off and diners began to view it as “old-fashioned.” Additionally, seven-layer salad lost some of its appeal because a trend toward healthier eating was beginning to take hold. However, it has remained popular in many parts of the country, and today, seven-layer salad has been making a comeback as interest in “retro” recipes has been on the rise.