NATO summit 2022: Russian 'Salad' on menu raises eyebrows

Madrid: As they waited for the arrival of U.S. President Joe Biden and other world leaders in the high-security NATO summit venue on the outskirts of Madrid on Tuesday, international officials and journalists were bemused to find "Russian Salad" on the top of the in-house restaurant menu. The melange of peas, potatoes, carrots and mayonnaise is a staple on Spanish restaurant menus but ahead of a summit at which Russia is expected to be labelled as a security threat in the alliance`s new strategic concept over its invasion of Ukraine, its presence on the menu caused consternation.

"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 dish`s attractively high carb content appeared to trump its questionable name, however, and it reportedly sold out within hours.

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More diplomatic thought was applied to the menu served to visiting defence and foreign ministers at a banquet at the Baroque Santa Cruz Palace in Central Madrid on Tuesday evening.

Jose Andres, the Spanish chef featured in the Netflix series Chef`s Table who coordinated the meal, served the classic tapa but added "tomato dumplings" and re-christened it "Ukrainian salad" as he has done in his restaurants across Spain.

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