The Caesar salad celebrates its 100th birthday on the Fourth of July. With fresh, crisp romaine lettuce tossed in a creamy, flavorful, salty, citrus dressing that satisfies all five taste buds, it’s no wonder this iconic dish has delighted palates throughout the ages.
Like many recipe tales, the origin story of this popular garlicky salad has been a topic of debate among culinary history buffs, with some speculating as to whether it actually involved a citrus fruit (lime or lemon) but there’s no disputing that it originated in Mexico.
Caesar salad was invented in Mexico 100 years ago
Cesare Cardini, an Italian immigrant who moved to Mexico from San Diego to open a restaurant in 1920, is said to have first created the now-famous salad that bears his name on July 4, 1924, at Caesars Palace in Tijuana, according to the Associated Press.
In a presentation in the dining room using a whole leaf of romaine lettuce, Cardini placed ingredients he likely had on hand, including garlic-flavored oil, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, eggs and Parmesan cheese, in an oversized bowl.
According to The New York Times, the restaurant serves 2,500 Caesar salads tableside every week, but today’s recipe has been slightly altered from the original version from 100 years ago, and now features fresh garlic, anchovies, Dijon mustard, Parmigiano Reggiano, lime juice, olive oil, salt, freshly ground black pepper, and a soft-boiled egg yolk for the dressing.
Caesar salad remains the best after 100 years
Despite its somewhat murky history, the Caesar salad remains popular to this day.
With thousands of recipe interpretations from chefs to home cooks and now the next generation of food content creators on social media, salads have been transformed and reimagined as deconstructed dishes, sandwiches, wraps, or given a simple upgrade like adding perfectly grilled chicken on top.
To give you an idea of how interested social media users are in Caesar salad, the search term alone turns up over ____ recipe videos.
For the love of Caesar
Like many culinary greats, cookbook author Molly Baz is an avid lover of Caesar salad, or “Cae Sal” for short.
On Thursday, Baz took to Instagram to pay tribute to the dish he hailed as “the king of salad kingdom” when he was developing the recipe for Bon Appétit.
“I [really] “Some days we celebrate the birth of inanimate objects, but today marks the 100th birthday of the almighty Caesar salad. I think we can all agree that I wouldn’t be who I am today without this salad,” she wrote in the caption, alongside six stunning photos of her variations on various Caesar salad recipes.
The day before, Buzz posted a recipe for a new burger on Instagram that he says was inspired by the taste of a traditional Caesar salad.
“I really want to [people] “Boiga should be topped with chobis,” Buzz wrote in the caption alongside photos and videos of the incredible Caesar dish.
The pâté is stuffed with finely chopped anchovies and garlic, and fluffy Parmesan grated on a microplane. Once cooked, the bottom brioche bun is topped with a Caesar salad, the pâté, and more anchovies, crunchy Parmesan frico, pickles, and what appear to be thinly sliced white onions.
Classic Caesar Salad Recipe
Two-time Michelin-starred chef Missy Robbins, owner of Lilia and Missi in New York City, previously shared a lighter version of this classic salad on “GMA.” Check out her full recipe here, and use mayonnaise instead of Greek yogurt for a version that’s closer to the classic Caesar salad.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
