Caesar salad has been in our hearts and stomachs for 100 years, but you might not know where this iconic dish originated
By:
VivianReading Time: 4 minutes
July 5, 2024 2:00PM EDT
It’s cheesy, it’s crunchy, and the choice for every girl dinner. Of course, we’re talking about the Caesar Salad.
On the Fourth of July, this staple dish reached a milestone by turning 100 years old. Invented in Mexico in 1924 by Italian immigrant Caesar Cardini, the savory flavors of the Caesar salad have endured, creating a genuine love for the dish. The table-side preparation of the salad, most often done throughout the 60s and 70s, made right before patrons’ eyes, has also contributed to its enduring popularity.
So, Caesar Salad Is Not Italian?
Beth Forrest, a professor of liberal arts and applied food studies at theCulinary Institute of America, mentionedthe recipe echoes old Italian specialties. It resembles a pinzimonio, a dressing of olive oiland lemon juice used as a vegetable dip, or a bagna cauda, a hot dip of anchovy and garlic from the Piedmont region where Cardini was born.
But this star is most definitely of Mexican origin. At Caesar Cardini’s restaurant, Caesar’s Place, in Tijuana, Mexico, Cardini once struggled to feed an influx of Californians who had crossed the border to escape Prohibition. In an attempt to feed people with limited resources, Cardini tossed whole Romaine leaves with ingredients he had on hand, including garlic-flavored oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemons, eggs and Parmesan cheese. Voila!
What Is The Original Recipe?
According to a video interview with Alex Cardini III, the grandson of the salad’s inventor, CNN reported that he had preserved the original recipe. This recipe consists of romaine lettuce, salt and pepper, garlic olive oil, a one-minute boiled egg, croutons, anchovies, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce.
What Are Some Variations of the Caesar Salad Recipe?
The creator was not inclined to vary his recipe. In a 1987 interview with the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, his daughter Rosa Cardini said her father was very precise in preparing his creation. He used only the tender, inner leaves of Romaine lettuce and left them whole, intending diners to pick them up with their fingers. He boiled the eggs for one minute before adding them, and contrary to Alex Cardini III, Rosa claims he didn’t use anchovies.
At Beatrix, a chain of five restaurants in Chicago that makes healthier versions of comfort foods, chef and partner Andrew Ashmore spreads a spoonful of yogurt-based dressing at the bottom of the salad bowl and mixes it with capers, parsley, lemon vinaigrette and champagne vinegar before adding little gem lettuce, baby arugula, bread crumbs and a generous shaving of Grada Padano cheese.
“It’s our number one selling salad, and it has been since we opened 11 years ago,” Ashmore said. “I couldn’t try to take it off the menu if I wanted to.”
In Celebration, Change Up The Way You Eat Your Caesar… For Fun!
INGREDIENTS
For sandwiches and cutlets
- 4 sub rolls
- 1 lb chicken tenderloins, tenderized
- 2 hearts romaine lettuce, washed, dried, chopped
- Fresh grated parmesan
- Lemon, juiced
- Caesar dressing for salad + 1/2 cup for breading
- Breadcrumbs/panko crumbs for breading
- Flour for breading
- Avocado oil for frying
For garlic butter
- 2 heads of garlic, roasted
- 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped
- 8 tbsps unsalted butter, softened
- 1/8 cup fresh parmesan, grated
- Salt and pepper
Making the sandwiches
- Preheat oven 350°F. In a small bowl, combined all garlic butter ingredients. Set aside. Slice and slightly hollow out sub rolls. Spread garlic butter on inside of rolls and add extra grated parmesan. Place open side up on baking sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until buttered tops are golden and bread is toasted. Optional- Broil on high for 2-3 minutes to make tops extra toasty.
- Meanwhile, prepare breading station; flour, caesar dressing + 2 tbsps water mixed in, breadcrumbs. Bread cutlets.
- In a large pan, coat bottom with avocado oil and preheat over medium heat. Tip: to test if oil is hot enough, sprinkle a pinch of breadcrumbs in the oil, if they sizzle then the oil is ready for frying. Fry cutlets until golden brown on eat side. Place cooked cutlets on plate lined with paper towel to absorb excess oil.
- Prepare salad. Toss chopped romaine in dressing of choice. If using store bought dressing, I always add fresh lemon juice and parmesan to give it more life/flavor.
- Assemble sandwiches-> crunchy sub roll, cutlet, salad and extra parmesan. Enjoy!
Roasting garlic
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Cut head of garlic across equator. Place bottoms on a large sheet of foil. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 30-45 minutes, garlic cloves will be golden brown.
@rachaellsrecipes I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like caesar salad. Also, sorry if you don’t like crunchy bread, but turning the bun into garlic bread-like crouton takes it to the next level. ALSO AGAIN, replacing the egg wash with caesar dressing to make it even more extra💅🏼🥬 Crunchy Chicken Caesar Sub *makes 4 sandwiches Sub rolls of choice 1lb chicken tenderloins, tenderized 2 hearts romaine lettuce, washed, dried, chopped Fresh grated parmesan Lemon, juiced Caesar dressing, for salad + 1/2 cup for breading @progresso breadcrumbs or panko for breading Flour for breading @chosenfoods avocado oil For garlic butter 2 heads of garlic, roasted 1 tbsp parsley, finely chopped 8 tbsps unsalted butter, softened 1/8 cup fresh parmesan, grated Salt and pepper *full recipe can be found at http://rachaellsrecipes.com
