Celebrate your 100th birthday with these recipes

America isn’t the only country that celebrates birthdays on the Fourth of July. Caesar salad also has a special day on the calendar.

This month, this beloved classic turns 100 years old. To celebrate, we’re sharing a little history about this legendary combination of romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, croutons, and a unique salad dressing.

It’s safe to say that just about everyone is a fan of this iconic dish, including Hoda Kotb and Jenna Bush Hager, who called it “the perfect meal” and celebrated the salad’s anniversary by eating two of them on a Fourth of July segment of “Hoda & Jenna.”

“Caesar salad is just lettuce with some good cream cheese and bread,” Jenna said with a laugh, adding that when she was younger, she thought ordering a salad was “cool,” even though it mostly consisted of dressing and croutons.

What about Hoda? She likes to grill her romaine lettuce before adding her toppings. “It doesn’t get any better than that,” the Today co-host said.

Caesar salad superfan and chef Molly Baz also took time out of her Independence Day celebrations to pay tribute to the dish: “I’m not one to 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. Happy birthday, baby. Here’s to another 100 years,” she wrote in a Fourth of July Instagram post.

Since its creation in 1924, foodies around the world have savored this haute cuisine staple, and chefs have found countless ways to reinvent this unique salad.

But where did the Caesar salad originate? Where did it get its name? What ingredients are in the original Caesar salad recipe? We answer these questions and more, plus share some fun trivia facts you can quickly share at the dinner table.

The origins of Caesar salad

When it comes to the history of this famous salad, there are two theories about the dish’s origins.

The first, and most widely accepted, theory is that the salad was invented by restaurateur and Italian immigrant Cesar Cardini. According to the Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink, Cardini ran several restaurants in Tijuana, Mexico. On July 4, 1924, Cardini is said to have created the salad to be served as a main course.

The dish consisted of romaine lettuce, croutons, and a unique dressing made from olive oil, eggs, garlic, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.

This new salad was a smash hit. In fact, the dish was so popular that a few years later it was named “the best recipe to come out of the Americas in 50 years” by the International Gastronomic Society of Paris.

Cardini began bottling and selling his famous dressing, and in 1948 patented the recipe under the name “Cardini’s Original Caesar Dressing Mix.”

After his death in 1956, his daughter, Rosa Marie, took over the multimillion-dollar family business, eventually selling it in 1988, according to the Los Angeles Times.

A second, competing origin theory holds that Chicago chef Giacomo Jr. came up with the idea for a salad made with the same ingredients and named his version of the dish after Roman Emperor Julius Caesar.

It’s not just the salad’s history that’s controversial, but also one of its ingredients: anchovies.

To some, Caesar is not Caesar without the addition of the controversial minnow, while others argue that adding the minnow makes Caesar inappropriate.

According to an article in the LA Times, the Carini family was adamantly opposed to adding anchovies to Caesar salad dressing. End of story. The Food and Drink Encyclopedia agrees, stating that “Carini was a strong advocate of keeping the salad lightly seasoned and opposed the inclusion of anchovies.”

Instead, Cardini believed the flavor came from the addition of Worcestershire sauce, Italian olive oil, and Parmesan cheese.

Caesar salad trivia

In the 100 years since the salad was introduced, countless variations have sprung up, with Chicken Caesar naturally coming to mind, a staple on many restaurant menus and a popular choice for both lunch and dinner.

Other versions of the famous salad include steak or shrimp, ditch the romaine lettuce for kale or other types of lettuce, and even expand upon Cardini’s original recipe, adding salad staples like tomatoes and cucumbers.

While everyone has their own preferences when it comes to Caesar salad, here are some interesting facts to keep in mind the next time you enjoy a Caesar salad.

• Traditionally, an authentic Caesar salad is prepared fresh at the table when it is served in a restaurant.
• Two tablespoons of Caesar salad dressing contain about 160 calories.
• In 1988, Rose Cardini created a “Super Caesar” salad for 3,000 people during Super Bowl weekend.
• Cardini’s Caesar salad dressing is still sold in grocery stores today.
• According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, romaine lettuce sales are expected to reach $1.54 billion in 2022.
• To be considered true Parmesan, this popular variety must be aged for at least 12 months.
• Ruth Chris, Capital Grille, The Cheesecake Factory, Carrabba’s, and Applebee’s are just a few of the popular chain restaurants that offer Caesar salad on their menus.

Caesar Salad Recipe