Along with feeding and organizing mass feeding of weather-and war-ravaged countries and regions, and putting out cookbooks to help fund World Central Kitchen’s missions, Chef Andres writes a Substack.
A celebration in Tijuana honors the 100th anniversary of the Caesar salad
JUL 15, 2024
Hola friends! I’m still smiling from all the amazing sports victories for Spain—between my friend, Sergio Garcia, winning the most recent LIV golf event, Spain becoming the Euro 2024 champion, and Carlos Alcaraz taking home his second consecutive Wimbledon trophy, I’m so proud of my home country!
Today, I want to talk about a very interesting anniversary that was just celebrated on July 4th (no, not America’s birthday)! I’m talking about the 100th anniversary of the creation of one of the most famous salads, if not THE most famous salad in the world…the Caesar salad! There is something that is always so satisfying about a pile of ice-cold, crispy romaine leaves coated in a tangy, garlicky, savory, light but also just creamy enough dressing. Maybe you add some croutons for crunch, maybe you add some thickly sliced parmesan. Maybe you “hug” the salad to bring it all together, like my friend Jamie Lee Curtis, or maybe it’s prepared for you tableside at a steakhouse.
However you Caesar, let’s raise a glass to 100 years of this amazing salad, and let’s learn a little more about where it came from.
Like so many things with legendary status, there are still some questions around the origin of Caesar salad. Counter to what some might think, It’s not named for the famous Roman emperor, Julius Caesar. The Caesar in question here is Cesare Cardini, an Italian immigrant who came to the U.S. in 1913 from a small town in Piedmont, in northern Italy. He worked in a few different restaurants in California before moving to San Diego. When he arrived in San Diego, he noticed lots of Americans who were crossing the border for nice dinners with cocktails and wine, which was illegal in the US because of Prohibition. So he saw an opportunity to open a restaurant in Tijuana. (snip-more)
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