Italian dressing is a vinaigrette-type salad dressing in United States and Canadian cuisine, consisting of water, vinegar or lemon juice, vegetable oil, chopped bell peppers, usually sugar or corn syrup, and a blend of various herbs and spices including oregano, garlic, fennel, dill and salt. Onion and garlic can also be used to intensify the dressing’s flavour. It is often bought bottled, or prepared by mixing oil and vinegar with a packaged flavoring mix consisting of dehydrated vegetables and herbs.
North American-style Italian dressing is not used in Italy, where salad is normally dressed with olive oil, vinegar, salt, and sometimes black pepper at table, and not with a pre-mixed vinaigrette.
Italian dressing is also used as a marinade for meat, for stir-frys, and on sandwiches. Pasta salads sometimes include Italian dressing.
The caloric content of Italian dressing varies widely.
A variety of Italian dressing, known as Creamy Italian, consists of the same ingredients, but with buttermilk or mayonnaise added to make it creamy.
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—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
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