-- Shares Facebook Twitter Reddit Email Fourth of July may be best known as a national holiday commemorating the establishment of the United States, but it’s also a big day for what is hailed as the “king of salads”: Caesar salad . This year, the iconic medley of romaine lettuce, croutons and Parmesan cheese celebrated turning 100 years old. The salad is said to have been created by Cesare Cardini, an Italian immigrant who operated several restaurants in Mexico and the United States.
It was at Cardini’s restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico, Caesar’s Place, where the first-ever Caesar salad was served on July 4, 1924, to local patrons. Short on ingredients in the kitchen due to a Fourth of July rush, the earliest iteration of the salad was made purely from leftovers. Cardini combined whole Romaine leaves, garlic-flavored oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemons, eggs and Parmesan cheese into a tasty meal.
It quickly became a huge hit, especially amongst Californians who crossed the border to dine — and drink — at Cardini’s restaurant amid prohibition. History, for the most part, credits Cardini with the inception of Caesar salad, but other accounts claim otherwise. Some say that Cardini's brother, Alex Cardini, made the salad, which he served as breakfast to airmen from a San Diego base after they enjoyed a booze-filled night.
Alex, who was a pilot during World War I, aptly named his creation “Aviator Salad.” His salad included the addition of anchovies and was later re-.
