French dressing
French dressing, in American cuisine, is a creamy, ketchup-based dressing which varies in color from pale orange to bright red. It is made of oil, vinegar, ketchup, sugar, and other flavorings.
In the 19th century, French dressing was synonymous with vinaigrette. Starting in the early 20th century, American recipes for "French dressing" often added other flavorings to the vinaigrette, including Worcestershire sauce, onion juice, ketchup, sugar, and tabasco sauce, but kept the name. By the 1920's, bottled French dressing was being sold as "Milani's 1890 French Dressing", but it is not clear whether it included ketchup at the time. The modern version is sweet and colored orange-to-red from the use of paprika and tomatoes. French dressing is generally pale orange and creamy, while "Catalina French dressing" is bright red and less creamy.
Common brands of French dressing in the United States include: Annie's, Dorothy Lynch, Heinz, Ken's, Kraft, Newman's Own, Marzetti, Wish-Bone.Regulation
In the United States, French dressing is regulated by federal standards. The Association of Dressings and Sauces is lobbying to remove this regulation.
In Canada, the Food and Drug Regulations of the Foods and Drugs Act state that French dressing must be prepared using a combination of vegetable oil and vinegar or lemon juice and the final product must contain at least 35 percent vegetable oil.
