Thought Caesar Salad was from Rome, until Mexico came into the picture

Sometimes, when you listen to the name of a dish you automatically assume that the name is a direct reflection of the place where the dish originated or the person who was credited for creating the dish. Such is the case with Caesar Salad among most people. While the name Caesar reminds one of the historic figures Julius Caesar, people sometimes assume that the salad originated in Rome. But one of the surprising food facts is that the salad has got nothing to do with Rome. In fact, according to culinary history it originated thousands of miles away from Rome, in the colourful land of Mexico. Here’s the fascinating story of the origins of the Caesar Salad.

All about the origins of Caesar Salad

The Caesar salad history will take you back to the 1920s in a place called Tijuana in Mexico. The society was grappled by the Prohibition Era. Around that time, Italian restaurateur Caesar Cardini used to operate a few well-known restaurants in Mexico. According to the most accepted Caesar salad origin story, Cardini improvised an already existing dish on the menu and modified it with the low supplies that were available in the kitchen.

Back in the days, the salad wasn’t even considered as a full meal. It used to be a table side accompanying other dishes. Made with lettuce, olive oil, egg, Worcestershire sauce, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and croutons, it was just the right amount of savoury, tangy and crunchy side dish that everyone wanted. Recent modifications include the addition of grilled chicken as well.  

Interestingly, people often mistake Cardini’s first name Caesar, to be the crux of the Roman origin of the dish. But this is, in the truest sense, nothing but just a coincidence, because Cardini was of Italian descent and not Roman. Thus, this is an interesting snippet from the pages of Mexican food history. While the cuisine is generally defined through spicy and crunchy foods like tacos, burrito, guacamole, salsa etc, this much-loved, much mild, healthy salad also finds its origin in the same country.  

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