Written By: Lindy Winkler
This past week on July 4th, North America had two big birthdays to celebrate. While the U.S. was celebrating its independence with parades and fireworks, Mexico celebrated the iconic Caesar salad turning 100 years old.
Many people often mistake the Caesar salad for having been created by Julius Caesar. However, that is simply a myth. In reality, the Caesar salad was invented by Caesar Cardini, an Italian immigrant who came to Mexico and opened up an Italian restaurant.
On July 4th, 1924, in Tijuana, Mexico, Cardini’s Italian restaurant was packed with locals and tourists all hungry for some classic Italian food, so, when Cardini and his brother passed out their simple and last-minute salad, it turned out to be a huge hit among the hungry crowd. The original Caesar salad contained a mere 7 ingredients including; romaine lettuce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, raw egg yolk, lime juice, Parmigiano reggiano cheese, and small toasted baguette slices. Cardini had originally planned to make the Caesar salad a finger food to quickly and easily satisfy his hungry customers, hence the use of whole lettuce leaves.
Despite its various and conflicting origin stories, the Caesar salad remains a huge part of the culture in Tijuana and Caesar’s is a must-hit restaurant for tourists. Although the original recipe for the Caesar salad has changed and developed through the years, its roots are still prevalent at Caesar’s. Today, in the old-fashioned diner, chefs whip up the classic but modified salad now consisting of romaine lettuce, whole anchovies, olive oil, garlic, dijon mustard, raw egg yolk, lime juice, salt, and pepper.
Throughout the world, the Caesar salad has developed into many variations and has become a staple in so many restaurants and houses as it caters to all ages. According to a Tastewise trend overview, the obsession is so great that about 21% of all restaurants offer Caesar salads on their menu. Furthermore, Caesar salad is available for so many diets from vegan to Mediterranean. Additionally, the salad provides so much creativity to chefs as its simple base can be spruced up or dialed back. Many of the more simple twists on the original Caesar salad include adding anchovies, garlic, mustard, salt and pepper, tomatoes, bacon, kale, chicken, Brussels sprouts, the list goes on and on. More elevated and creative versions of the salad include turning it into a pasta salad, wrap, sandwich, pita, burger, pizza, and more.
Throughout its 100 years, the Caesar salad has grown from a simple, last-minute salad to an abundant amount of variations and spins on the classic. While the obsession with the Caesar salad continues to grow as it becomes extremely versatile, the original is just as good. Let the Caesar salad live beyond its 100th birthday and try out what is allegedly known to be Caesar Cardini’s original recipe down below.
Full Recipe:
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Serves: ~5 People
Ingredients:
Dressing
1 coddled egg yolk
⅓ cup olive oil
⅓ grated parmigiano reggiano cheese
Juice of half a lime
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
Salad
1 head of romaine lettuce, leaves separated
4 small slices of a toasted baguette
Instructions:
First, tear apart the head of lettuce and place it on a plate. Then slice and toast the baguette, before you place it on top of the lettuce leaves. In a separate bowl add the dressing ingredients and mix until combined. Finally, drizzle the dressing over the lettuce and enjoy!
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