Italian Dressing

The herb-flecked vinaigrette of the American table: olive oil and vinegar shaken with a heavy hand of dried oregano, garlic, and Italian herbs into a tangy, savoury dressing for salads, and a marinade for chicken and vegetables

Origin: Italian America, United States

From the journey of Oregano.

Italian dressing is an Italian-American invention, not an Italian one: a bottled and homemade vinaigrette that carries the flavours of the Italian immigrant kitchen, above all oregano, into the everyday American salad bowl. It belongs to the same mid-century moment that made oregano famous in the United States, when returning soldiers and the boom in Italian-American restaurants turned 'the pizza herb' into a household staple; oregano is the dressing's defining note, backed by garlic and a chorus of dried Italian herbs. Beyond the salad, it became one of America's favourite marinades, splashed over chicken and vegetables before grilling. Tangy, herby, and endlessly useful, it is a small monument to oregano's twentieth-century conquest of the American table.

Ingredients

  • 120 ml extra virgin olive oil
  • 60 ml red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely grated
  • 1 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tsp honey or sugar
  • 0.5 tsp salt
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper
  • 0.5 tsp dried chilli flakes (optional)

Method

  1. Put the vinegar, oregano, basil, grated garlic, mustard, honey, salt, pepper, and chilli flakes if using into a jar with a tight lid.
  2. Add the olive oil, seal the jar, and shake hard for 20 to 30 seconds until thickened and emulsified.
  3. Taste and adjust: more vinegar for sharpness, more honey to round it, more oregano for herbiness. Let it stand for 15 minutes before using if you can, to let the flavours marry.
  4. Shake again before each use. Dress crisp salad leaves, tomatoes, and onion, or use as a marinade for chicken, prawns, or vegetables before grilling.

Notes

This is the homemade version of the bottled American classic, and far better than any of them. Oregano is the headline flavour; use a good, pungent dried oregano and be generous. The blend of dried Italian herbs can be widened with a little thyme, parsley, or onion powder to taste. As a marinade it is especially good on chicken, the basis of the American 'Italian chicken' of the mid-century kitchen.

The Gastrographer

The Gastrographer

Mapping Culinary History

To explore — select an ingredient below.

Journey Point Map Key

Ingredient originTrade or transit route
Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control
© 2026 The Gastrographer. All original research, narratives, and illustrations. All rights reserved.