1949 History tells us ranch dressing was created in 1949 by a plumber-turned-cowboy in Alaska. Steve Henson is the man behind this dressing perfection. In fact, Henson moved to California and purchased a ranch he called Hidden Valley Ranch, which made the now famous dressing a staple.

Ranch was created by a plumber, Steve Henson and his wife, Gayle. In 1954, they purchased a ranch right above Santa Barbara, California and named it Hidden Valley Ranch. They opened a steakhouse there that became popular for its salad dressing.

Our magical Ranch blend of buttermilk, garlic and onion flavors mixed with mild heat of aged chiles and red peppers that adds a Bold twist to our classic Ranch Seasoning in a convenient shaker.

Santa Barbara Hidden Valley® Original Ranch® dressing was developed in the late 1950s by real ranchers, Steve and Gayle Henson. The Hidden Valley® Guest Ranch is located near Santa Barbara in California and was favored by visitors who wanted to enjoy the natural surroundings.

However, in many parts of Europe, the flavor is known as Cool American because Europeans often call Ranch sauce "American" sauce. Very cool, indeed.

Although ranch was originally intended to be a dressing for green salads, it can also work well on pasta salad, potato salad, or chickpea salad.

Steven Henson, the Nebraska native who created ranch dressing, invented the now-ubiquitous condiment after moving to Anchorage in 1949 and taking a job as a plumbing contractor in the Alaskan bush, according to a biography of Henson published in the Santa Barbara Independent.

It's a combination of creaminess (from buttermilk, sour cream, sometimes mayonnaise) and herbaceousness (often parsley, thyme, dill), plus a long pull of allium (onion and garlic) and a shot of black pepper.

A ranch (from Spanish: rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of farm.

No other country in the world can guarantee it on shelves (though it's somewhat popular in Germany) like we do in the states. More than being uniquely American, ranch dressing has become the iconic condiment of the Midwest.

Ranch has been the best-selling salad dressing in the United States since 1992, when it overtook Italian. It is also popular in the United States and Canada as a dip, and as a flavoring for potato chips and other foods.

Not to state the obvious here, but ranch is and always will be a salad dressing. The hearty texture is perfect for a crisp wedge salad, but other ways to use the dressing include serving it with buffalo chicken, using it as a dip for roasted vegetables, and as a topping for burgers.