Famous people are often behind the names of food. Caesar salad originated from Caesar Cardini. He was born in Italy and emigrated to the states with all three of his brothers (while his two sisters stayed at home). Almost immediately he went into the restaurant business and was successful. In order to be able to serve alcohol in Prohibition American, he even ran a restaurant in Mexico.
Cardini became famous for his salad and his sauce. The Caesar salad he claimed to have invented in 1924. Hollywood celebrities loved it and the name stuck after he moved his restaurant to Hotel Caesar’s. For the last 10 years of his life he focussed on selling the dressing which fit his Caesar salad.
What are the ingredients of a Caesar salad? Cheese, eggs, croutons, black pepper, garlic lettuce and olive oil.
However, it took a long time for Caesar salad to become widely known. There is a Los Angeles menu with a Caesar salad from 1946, but even one year later a foodie magazine The Gourmet is asking “Where might I find a recipe for Caesar salad?” while in 1950 a book on salads introduces the Caesar salad “a new taste sensation from California”.
