Salade hawaïenne — United States

Hawaiian salad is a composed salad built on a base of cooked rice, dressed with mayonnaise and mixed with a combination of sweet and savory ingredients — most often pineapple, ham or cooked chicken, and vegetables such as carrot, celery or peas — so that a single forkful carries both salty and fruity notes. It is reported from the United States, tied to Hawaiian cuisine and the island tradition of combining rice, tropical fruit and preserved or cooked meats on one plate, a pattern also seen in the mixed plates served across the islands. Rice is cooked and cooled completely before the salad is built, since warm rice would break the mayonnaise. It is combined with diced pineapple, cubed ham or cooked chicken, and finely chopped vegetables, then bound with mayonnaise loosened with a little pineapple juice, seasoned with salt and pepper, and chilled before serving so the flavors settle together. The balance of sweet and salty is what marks this version out among composed rice salads: the pineapple is left in generous cubes rather than folded in as juice or puree, so it stays a distinct, juicy element against the creamy rice and salty meat rather than sweetening the dressing evenly throughout.