Coconut? Marshmallows? Feelings run hot for ambrosia salad

This December 2020 photo shows a recipe for Ambrosia salad for the food blog My Baking Addiction in Suwanee, Georgia. (Elena Vaselova for My Baking Addiction via AP).

NEW YORK (AP) — Feelings run hot for ambrosia salad, that fluffy treat mostly served at Easter, Thanksgiving, or Christmas.

Stretching back more than 100 years, ambrosia of yore was a far less busy little side dish or dessert than today’s versions.

Recipes from the 1800s include oranges, shredded coconut and sometimes pineapple. There was no whipped cream, no bright red maraschino cherries and definitely no marshmallows.

Old guard foodies consider today’s ambrosia salads with a riot of ingredients an abomination.

Regardless, food content creators on social media have helped keep ambrosia salad alive.

This combination of photos from December 2020 shows the stages of preparation for Ambrosia salad for the food blog My Baking Addiction in Suwanee, Ga. The fluffy fruit concoction has a history dating back more than 100 years. (Elena Vaselova for My Baking Addiction via AP).