“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.” –Marie Curie
Today, July 4, is the Feast of Marie Curie. Born Maria Salomea Skłodowska November 7, 1867, in Warsaw, Poland, she was the first woman in history to receive the Nobel Prize. In fact, she was the first person who received two such prizes. In 1903, she and her husband, Pierre, received the Nobel Prize in Physics “in recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri Becquerel,” and in 1911 she received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry “in recognition of her services to the advancement of chemistry by the discovery of the elements radium and polonium, by the isolation of radium and the study of the nature and compounds of this remarkable element.”
Curie died July 4, 1934, of leukemia. Her daughter Irène carried on her parents’ research with her husband Frédéric Joliot-Curie, and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1935 for her discovery of artificial radioactivity.
In honor of her birthplace, Warsaw, and as an addition to your July 4 picnic, please enjoy the following recipe.
Warsaw Potato Salad
Ingredients
- 2 carrots
- 2 stalks celery
- 1 parsnip
- 4 to 5 potatoes
- 1 bunch green onions, chopped
- 2 cups sour cream
- 1 cups mayonnaise
- 1 tbs sugar
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 to 4 hard boiled eggs
- 1 cup diced dill pickles
- 3 to 4 peeled and diced apples
- 1 cup cooked navy beans
- 1 cup green peas
- 1 tbs brown mustard
- 1 tbs vinegar
Directions
- In a pot of salted water cook carrots, celery, and parsnip until tender. Separately cook 4 to 5 potatoes drain and set vegetables aside
- When vegetables are cooled dice finely (the finer the dicing the better).
- To the diced vegetables add the hard boiled eggs, diced pickles, diced peeled apples, drained canned navy beans, canned peas, and chopped green onion.
- Lace with sauce made of 2 cups sour cream and 1 cup mayonnaise, tablespoon brown mustard, sugar and vinegar. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill before serving.
(Source: Just a Pinch Recipe Club)
Want to learn more about Marie Curie?
- King’s College: Marie Curie
- Marie Curie: 7 Facts on the Groundbreaking Scientist
- Nobel Prizes and Laureates: Marie Curie — Facts
