This 4th of July is the Caesar salad centennial. What to know about its history and recipes to celebrate 100 years
Caesar salad celebrates it's 100th birthday this Fourth of July and it should come as no surprise that the iconic dish has stood the test of time and peoples' palates with its balance of fresh, crunchy Romaine lettuce tossed in a creamy, savory, salty, citrusy dressing that satisfies all five tastes.
Like any recipe tale, the origin story behind the beloved garlicky salad has been a catalyst for culinary history buffs to debate -- like which citrus was really used, lime or lemon -- but it's birthplace in Mexico remains undisputed.
Caesar salad invented in Mexico 100 years ago
Italian immigrant Césare Cardini, who moved from San Diego to Mexico in 1920 to open restaurants, is said to have made his now-famous namesake salad for the first time at Caesar's Palace in Tijuana on July 4, 1924, according to the Associated Press.
In a dining room presentation using whole leaves of Romaine, Cardini added ingredients he apparently had on hand into an oversized bowl, including garlic-flavored oil, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, eggs and Parmesan cheese.
Per the New York Times, the restaurant tosses 2,500 tableside Caesar salads each week, but the recipe today has altered slightly from it's earliest iteration 100 years ago, now using fresh garlic, whole anchovies, Dijon mustard, Parmigiano-Reggiano, lime juice, olive oil, salt, freshly cracked black pepper and a coddled egg yolk for the dressing.
Caesar salad reigns supreme after 100 years
Despite it's somewhat hazy history, Caesar salad still hits.
With thousands of recipe interpretations from chefs to home cooks -- and now the next wave of food content creators on social media -- the salad has been transformed and reimagined as a deconstructed dish, sandwiches and wraps, or given simple upgrades like adding a perfectly grilled piece of chicken on top.
To get a taste of how big social media users' appetites are for Caesar salad, the search term alone yields over ____ of recipe videos.
For the love of Cae-Sal
Like many culinary greats, cookbook author Molly Baz is a vocal Caesar salad lover, or in her abbreviated form -- "Cae Sal."
Baz took to Instagram on Thursday to share a tribute post to the dish she once hailed "the King of the salad Kingdom," when she developed recipes at Bon Appétit.
"I’m not [really] one to celebrate the birth of an inanimate object but today is the 100th birthday of the all mighty CAE SAL and I think we can all agree that I wouldn’t be the woman that I am if not for its birth," she wrote in the caption alongside six stunning snaps of her various Caesar recipe riffs.
The day prior, Baz posted on the gram with a recipe for a new concoction that she said was inspired by the flavors of a classic Caesar salad, but in burger form.
"I just really feel like more [people] should be topping their boigas wit chovies," Baz wrote in the caption alongside a carousel of photos and videos of her over the top Caesar-y creation.
The patty is stuffed with a combination of finely minced anchovies and garlic and fluffy Parmesan grated on a microplane. Once cooked she piles Caesar salad onto the bottom Brioche bun, adds the patty and tops it with more anchovies, a crunchy Parmesan frico, pickles and what appears to be thinly sliced white onion.
Recipe to make a classic Caesar Salad
Two-time Michelin starred chef Missy Robbins, owner of Lilia and Misi in New York City, previously shared a lightened up version of the classic salad recipe with "GMA." Check out her full recipe here and swap mayonnaise instead of her Greek yogurt option to get a version that more closely resembles a classic Caesar.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
