Waldorf salad is the classic American composed salad of diced raw apple, celery, and walnuts in a mayonnaise dressing, traditionally served on lettuce. Created at New York’s Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in the 1890s — originally without the walnuts, which were added later — it became the template for elegant luncheon salads. The combination works on contrast: sweet crisp apple, fresh crunchy celery, rich walnuts, creamy dressing, often brightened with lemon juice and sometimes grapes. It is a study in texture as much as flavour. Modern versions lighten the mayonnaise with yoghurt. As hotel legend and as a salad, it has proved remarkably durable — still on menus more than a century later.