Ranch dressing is an American salad dressing and vegetable dip made of sour cream, mayonnaise and minced green onion, along with other seasonings. The original popular brand in the U.S. is called Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.
Hidden Valley Ranch was a lively guest ranch resort near Santa Barbara, California, and it was there that Ranch Dressing was invented in the late 1950s by the owner, Steve Henson, who had developed his dressing in Alaska. The original dressing is still available as a packet of dry herbs that is mixed with buttermilk (or sour cream) and bottled mayonnaise. Connoisseurs add chopped fresh cilantro as well as the usual scallions.
