Lucien Olivier

Lucien Olivier (Russian: Люсьен Оливье) (1838–14 November 1883) was a chef of Belgian and French descent, and owner of Hermitage restaurant in the center of Moscow, Russian Empire, in the early 1860s. Olivier is known for the creation of Olivier salad, also known as "Russian salad". The secret of the recipe was not disclosed until his death. Lucien Olivier died in Moscow at age 45 in 1883 and was buried at Vvedenskoye Cemetery. He carried the secret of his recipe with him to his tomb, which was lost until 2008. The current salad has numerous variations which are a mixture of every component Olivier used to add to his famous dish as well as ingredients that he did not use himself, with a mayonnaise dressing.