'Russian salad' on NATO Summit's cafe sold out within hours, sparks debate online

“Russian Salad” or “Ensaladilla Rusa”, on the top of the in-house restaurant menu at the NATO summit venue in Madrid, was sold out within hours. At the venue on the outskirts of the Spanish city, where international officials and journalists were waiting for the arrival of world leaders such as US President Joe Biden, the officials were bemused to find the peculiar dish with Russia’s name on it.

While a melange of peas, potatoes, carrots and mayonnaise is common on Spanish restaurant menus, the presence of Russian salad on the menu particularly bagged attention because the dignitaries across the globe were meeting at a NATO summit, at which Moscow is expected to be labelled as a security threat. The bloc had previously indicated that it would adopt a new strategic concept over the Russia-Ukraine war.

"Russian salad at a NATO summit? I'm a little surprised by that choice of dish," journalist Iñaki López told Spanish media outlet La Sexta.

The questionable name of the ‘Russian salad’ was overpowered by the attractively high carbohydrate content as reportedly, the dish was sold out within hours. But the presence of the unique name on the menu indicated that more than usual diplomatic thought was applied to the dishes served to visit defence and foreign ministers at the banquet at the Baroque Santa Cruz Palace in Central Madrid on Tuesday evening.

The meal was coordinated by Spanish chef Jose Andres, who also featured in Netflix’s ‘Chef’s Table’, served the classic tapa but added “tomato dumplings” and re-vamped it it “Ukrainian salad” as he did in his restaurants across the European country.

NATO summit opened amid warnings of ‘more dangerous world’

On the eve of NATO’s annual summit in Madrid, the head of the US-led alliance called for member states to boost their military spending in an increasingly “unpredictable” and “dangerous” world. NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said that the Russia-Ukraine war sparked a “fundamental shift” in the alliance’s approach to defence. The talks would end on June 30 after starting on Tuesday. 

Image: AP