# The "Japanese" salad dressing they always use in the U.S. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 14, 2015, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-japanese-salad-dressing-they-always-use-in-the-u-s/731228 "2015-09-14T18:16:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Frylock](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ce7236/32.png) [@Frylock](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frylock)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-japanese-salad-dressing-they-always-use-in-the-u-s/731228/21 "2015-09-15T02:35:08Z")
> [@Saturn\_Dreams](#): > > I’ve had my fair share of “Japanese” cuisine in the USA and I don’t recall ever being served an orange-coloured ginger dressing. I can definitely say they don’t serve anything like that on salads here in Japan. For whatever reason, and for whatever it’s worth, I distinctly recall a delicious very orange gingery dressing I was served regularly on salads when I lived in Japan for a year fifteen years ago. In particular, it was served up very regularly in school lunches (I worked for the public school system at the time). ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2015, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-japanese-salad-dressing-they-always-use-in-the-u-s/731228/22 "2015-09-15T04:36:21Z")
> [@Tamex](#): > > I’ve never been to a Japanese steakhouse that serves yum yum sauce on the salad! The OP’s dressing is the carrot ginger dressing that has already been mentioned. Yum yum sauce is the white sauce that they serve with the rest of the entree… Look at the pictures. Despite being sometimes described as “white,” the yum yum all looks orangish to me, though lighter than the dark orange-to-brown ginger dressing. (The OP is asking about the one that resembles Thousand Island, which the ginger would not.) As for putting it on salad… the restaurant might not plan it that way, but I’m sure some people do. I may like the ginger dressing on my hibachi, if I’m in such a place (and don’t like yum yum at all); others no doubt feel the reverse. There’s really no argument against putting it on the salad; it’s not exactly traditional in any usage, and it basically _is_ cheap American salad dressing. Soybean oil and corn syrup. ---
**Author:** ![Elemenopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b5e925/32.png) [@Elemenopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elemenopy)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 4:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-japanese-salad-dressing-they-always-use-in-the-u-s/731228/23 "2015-09-16T04:17:27Z")
I know exactly what you mean, and it is like Thousand Island that someone has whispered exotic(!) words like “sesame” and “ginger” over. It just makes me crave a patty melt in the worst possible venue to obtain one… ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-japanese-salad-dressing-they-always-use-in-the-u-s/731228/24 "2015-09-16T04:28:42Z")
Am I on everyone’s ignore list? > [@zoid](#): > > Miso dressing? > > [miso salad dressing - Google Search](https://www.google.com/search?q=miso+salad+dressing&num=20&newwindow=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAmoVChMI6Juq_aD3xwIVQQaSCh0krA1L&biw=863&bih=398) ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2015, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-japanese-salad-dressing-they-always-use-in-the-u-s/731228/25 "2015-09-16T15:35:52Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Am I on everyone’s ignore list? Weird… it seems like someone just said something. I’m not sure if Miso dressing is what the OP is thinking about or not, but going with the most common “Japanese” place in America it would probably be Benihana. They serve everyone a salad with a ginger dressing that looks somewhat like Thousand Island. > **[Benihana Ginger Salad Dressing](https://topsecretrecipes.com/benihana-ginger-salad-dressing-copycat-recipe.html)** > > You may have seen many attempts to duplicate this coveted dressing, but our Benihana ginger salad dressing copycat recipe comes closest to the real thing. ---
**Author:** ![JpnDude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/838e76/32.png) [@JpnDude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JpnDude)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2015, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-japanese-salad-dressing-they-always-use-in-the-u-s/731228/26 "2015-09-17T07:34:28Z")
> [@ratatoskK](#): > > It doesn’t taste like ginger to me. It’s orange so I guess that could be carrot. How about something similar to this [vegetable dressing](http://www.kewpie.co.jp/products/product.php?j_cd=4901577046438)? If so, it (or its equivalent) is commonly used in casual restaurants around Japan. > [@](#): > > According to the website, ingredients include: > Edible vegetable oil, vinegar, carrot puree, sugars (high-fructose corn syrup, sugar), onion, salt, seasoning (such as amino acids), tomato paste, pumpkin, etc. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-japanese-salad-dressing-they-always-use-in-the-u-s/731228.md?page=1)