Tuna Salad Results Are In…
Mayonnaise, Onion, and Pepper the typical sandwich.
Twenty-five people (including me) responded, listing twenty-seven versions of tuna salad, many of them similar, but none of them, I believe, exactly the same as any other. One of my favorite observations came from Joanna, who mentioned that she and her sister thought their way of making tuna was standard until recently. That’s exactly what I thought, too, when I first started occasionally polling people about their tuna preference eight long years ago. I’ve often gotten the response Mean Gene mentioned to my inclusion of green olives in tuna [ew!], though I’m proud to say, I’ve made a partial convert of my wife, who at first thought ill of savory tuna.
I’m glad I finally collected some hard data on the topic–the range of responses has been fascinating—so anyone who missed the original polling, please feel free to add your salad into the tuna databank; I’ll continue to update my data as results trickle in. Click each graph to see a full-sized version that’s easier to read.
I think it’s worth noting that mayonnaise enjoys a significant edge over Miracle Whip in these results. Personally, I think that “tangy zip” overpowers dishes it’s included in, but I’m a bit surprised that Miracle Whip measured on par with barbecue sauce in the results.
Onion is the surprise winner here; based on tunas I have eaten, I had expected celery to be the favorite. What’s more interesting, though, is the wide variety of things that appear more rarely with tuna. It’s an eye-opener to see what people do with it (and then to realize that you’ve been painting yourself in a small box based on habit and what you’ve grown up eating).
Seasonings display a bit less variety; salt and pepper are the expected favorites—though this may be one rare instance where pepper is more popular than salt, probably based on the salinity of the garnishes and sauces people include. I’d never thought to make tuna with curry powder, but I bet it’s tasty!
February 7th, 2007 at 5:06 pm
Of course Bumble Bee tuna with Miracle Whip is the only true combination, but I’m intrigued by the range of responses. Thanks — someone has to do this scientific research!
February 8th, 2007 at 3:26 pm
mzn at haverchuk did a much less formal poll about a year ago, i think. results were heavy on the apples. or maybe that was just me.
February 9th, 2007 at 11:11 am
Guess I never had a chance to register my preferences (of course, what you grew up eating came from my preferences). I always use a bit of lemon juice, olives, and mayonnaise (can’t tolerate Miracle Whip). I also prefer celery but reserve it for mine only since the rest of the family doesn’t share my taste for celery. In the summer, I really like to take a ripe tomato fresh from the garden, cut it into quarters, and serve it with the tuna salad. It is so good. However, it has to be a fresh locally grown tomato–those shipped in ones just don’t work.
February 9th, 2007 at 12:47 pm
It’s fairly obvious where my taste for fresh, local produce came from, too…
February 14th, 2007 at 12:24 am
No! Miracle whip lives on forever!