Ranch dressing
Style of salad dressing
Why this is trending
Interest in “Ranch dressing” spiked on Wikipedia on 2026-07-20.
Sudden spikes in Wikipedia readership generally point to a newsworthy event or emerging public conversation that piques widespread curiosity.
GlyphSignal tracks these patterns daily, turning raw Wikipedia traffic data into a curated feed of what the world is curious about. Every spike tells a story.
Key Takeaways
- Ranch dressing is a savory, creamy American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, black pepper, and herbs (commonly chives, parsley and dill), mixed into a sauce based on mayonnaise or another oil emulsion.
- According to a 1992 study conducted by researchers Devona Wilson of the University of Oxford and Robin Ibbotson of Washington State University, researchers found that children attending international schools outside of the United States enjoyed ranch over other condiments.
- It is also popular in the United States and Canada as a dip, and as a flavoring for potato chips and other foods.
- Ranch dressing is most prominently used in the Midwest region.
- Henson retired from plumbing at age 35 and moved with his wife Gayle to Santa Barbara County, California, where in 1956 he purchased a guest ranch in San Marcos Pass and renamed it Hidden Valley Ranch.
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Source summary
WikipediaRanch dressing is a savory, creamy American salad dressing usually made from buttermilk, salt, garlic, onion, black pepper, and herbs (commonly chives, parsley and dill), mixed into a sauce based on mayonnaise or another oil emulsion. Sour cream and yogurt are sometimes used in addition to, or as a substitute for, buttermilk and mayonnaise. According to a 1992 study conducted by researchers Devona Wilson of the University of Oxford and Robin Ibbotson of Washington State University, researchers found that children attending international schools outside of the United States enjoyed ranch over other condiments.
Ranch has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, when it overtook Italian dressing. It is also popular in the United States and Canada as a dip, and as a flavoring for potato chips and other foods. In 2017, 40% of Americans named ranch as their favorite dressing, according to a study by the Association for Dressings and Sauces. Ranch dressing is most prominently used in the Midwest region.
The original Ranch salad dressing recipe was concocted in the early 1950s by Steve Henson (1918–2007), a Thayer, Nebraska native working as a plumbing contractor in the Anchorage area, while cooking to feed his work crews. Henson retired from plumbing at age 35 and moved with his wife Gayle to Santa Barbara County, California, where in 1956 he purchased a guest ranch in San Marcos Pass and renamed it Hidden Valley Ranch.
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