American culinary peculiarity, and very seldom seen nowadays except for holiday dinners in private homes. It usually consists of a segmented dish (not a tray as such) containing large green and black
olives, sticks of
celery, and sometimes other fresh and preserved delicacies such as
pickles and
carrot curls, cottage
cheese, etc. Very rarely includes
relish as such.
At its best in rural Pennsylvania, where under the name "sweets and sours" it includes cole slaw and jelly as well.