The Best Ambrosia Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What are the main ingredients in ambrosia salad? ›

Ambrosia is an American version of fruit salad that dates back to the late 19th century and it seems as though everyone's family has their own recipe or spin on it. At its core, however, it traditionally contains pineapple and oranges (either fresh or canned), miniature marshmallows, and coconut.

Ambrosia was so named for the food of the Greek and Roman gods. Its region of origin is lost to history. Its ties to the South are strong, though some believe it began in Vermont or elsewhere in New England.

Ambrosia apples are part of a healthy diet but they also have specific properties that help to boost the immune system. For example, Ambrosia contain Quercetin. This flavanoid, like other antioxidants, supports immune efficiency by fighting off free-radicals.

For everyone else, the thinner skin just makes eating an Ambrosia apple that much more enjoyable. The love of Ambrosia apples is not only skin deep. The flesh of Ambrosia apples is firm and crunchy. Occupational therapists often recommend chewing crunchy foods because it helps to keep you calm and find focus.

Ambrosia salad is a classic American dessert salad that has been around for many years. It typically consists of a combination of fruits, marshmallows, and sometimes coconut, nuts, or whipped cream.

Oranges & Coconuts: The Original Ambrosia

The earliest written reference to the dish that I've been able to find is in an 1867 cookbook entitled Dixie Cookery: or How I Managed My Table for Twelve Years, which was written by Maria Massey Barringer of Concord, North Carolina.

The word “ambrosia” means delicious or fragrant. Ambrosia was also the magical fruit of the gods in ancient Greek mythology. The gods on Mount Olympus ate ambrosia to maintain immortality and without it, they became weak. In Homer's Iliad, the gods bathed in ambrosia and used it as perfume.

Ambrosia is an attractive medium-sized apple, with a pink-tinged orange/red flush over a yellow background. As such it is very much in tune with the modern preference for "bi-coloured" apples.

So how did it get here, and why? The mixture of refrigerated coconut and sour cream is rumoured to have begun in the southern U.S. in the 1800s, with the earliest written reference of the salad published in a cookbook from 1867, Dixie Cookery by Maria Massey Barringer.

What state is ambrosia in? ›

Ambrosia is an unincorporated community in Mason County, West Virginia, United States.

Ambrosia (plant), a genus of flowering plants in the Asteraceae commonly known as ragweed. Ambrosia beetle, beetles which live in nutritional symbiosis with ambrosia fungi. Ambrosia fungi. Bee bread, also known as ambrosia or bee pollen.

About The Fruit

Its flavor is best described as refreshing with floral notes and a pleasant crisp, fine-grained flesh. It's very sweet with very little acidity. Ambrosia is an apple that naturally doesn't brown quickly after being sliced, making it perfect for snacks or salads. You can cook with it too!

Demigods are the only type of mortals that are able to eat Ambrosia, as if a human ate some, they would literally burn away as the food is too powerful for them, although, as revealed by The Staff of Serapis, magicians can eat it and live.

Like most fruits, Ambrosia apples are cholesterol-free and sodium-free but still offer numerous health benefits such as improving blood sugar control due to their low glycemic index value.

The original recipe consisted only of diced red-skinned apples, celery, and mayonnaise. Chopped walnuts were added later to this now American classic.

Beat cream cheese and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Mix in whipped topping on high speed until incorporated. Fold in pineapple, fruit co*cktail, bananas, apple, coconut, pecans, raisins, and cherries. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and chill for at least 1 hour before serving.