Caesar Salad Origins: Tracing the Controversy Behind a Classic DishThe Caesar salad is one of those deceptively simple dishes that, once tasted, lingers in culinary memory: crisp romaine, crunchy croutons, tangy dressing clinging to every leaf, and a shower of grated cheese. Yet behind that apparent ease lies a tangled history of invention claims, regional pride, ingredient debates, and evolving tastes. This article traces the salad’s origins, examines the controversies surrounding its creation, explores how the recipe changed over time, and considers why the Caesar salad has remained a global favorite.
Where and when it began
Most culinary historians agree that the Caesar salad did not originate in ancient Rome but in the early 20th century in North America. The widely accepted origin story places the salad’s creation in Tijuana, Mexico, in the 1920s or early 1930s. The most commonly cited inventor is an Italian-American restaurateur named Caesar Cardini.
Caesar Cardini operated restaurants in both the United States and Mexico. According to family accounts and early publicity, the signature salad was first prepared at his restaurant in Tijuana during Prohibition-era travel by American tourists seeking alcohol and entertainment across the border. One well-known anecdote describes a busy Fourth of July weekend when the kitchen was running low on supplies; Cardini supposedly improvised a salad using romaine, raw egg, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, lemon, Parmesan, and croutons, tossing it tableside to dramatic effect.
Competing claims and alternate origin stories
Although the Cardini narrative is the most prominent, several competing claims complicate the story:
-
Alfredo di Lelio: An Italian chef who worked in Rome and later ran restaurants in Italy and elsewhere, di Lelio is sometimes cited as an originator for an egg- and lemon-based salad he created for his pregnant wife in 1924. Di Lelio later promoted a dish called “insalata all’italiana” that he claimed influenced the Caesar dressing. His supporters argue that di Lelio’s earlier timeline (1924) predates the Cardini Tijuana account.
-
Alex Cardini (a.k.a. “Alex” or “A. Cardini”): Caesar Cardini’s brother (or son, depending on sources) Alex has been credited in some retellings with refining the recipe and adding anchovies or anchovy paste. Menus and family claims sometimes attribute variations to him, blurring the line between invention and refinement.
-
Other Tijuana restaurateurs: Several restaurateurs and chefs working in Tijuana during the 1920s–30s claimed credit or described similar salads being prepared in the region. The cross-border culinary scene during Prohibition was dynamic, and dishes likely migrated and evolved among kitchens.
Because contemporaneous documentation is limited and family stories were used extensively in publicity, the salad’s precise origin remains murky. The competing narratives often reflect family pride, local marketing, and the patchy record-keeping of small restaurants.
The original ingredients — and disputes about anchovies and eggs
A core point of contention among historians and chefs concerns whether the original dressing contained anchovies and whether it used raw egg.
-
Anchovies: Caesar Cardini and several early accounts insisted that the original recipe did not include anchovies; instead, it relied on Worcestershire sauce (which itself contains anchovies) for umami depth. Many later versions and menus, however, list anchovies, and some recipes call for anchovy paste or mashed anchovy fillets. Culinary scholars suggest that even if whole anchovies weren’t added originally, the Worcestershire component effectively provided a similar savory note. Today, anchovies are common in restaurant and home versions, and anchovy-based Caesar dressing is widely considered canonical by many chefs.
-
Raw egg: Early recipes and theatrical tableside preparations often used raw or coddled egg yolks to emulsify the dressing. Health concerns in the late 20th and early 21st centuries encouraged cooks to use pasteurized eggs, mayonnaise, or cooked emulsions to avoid the risk of salmonella. Modern commercial dressings usually substitute mayonnaise or pasteurized egg-based emulsifiers.
Other classic ingredients attributed to the original dressing include lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, grated Parmesan (or Romano), black pepper, and croutons made from toasted or fried bread. The preparation technique — tossing and emulsifying the dressing tableside — was part of the original restaurant theatrics that helped popularize the salad.
From Tijuana to the world: popularization and variations
The Caesar salad’s rise to international fame followed several paths:
-
Hollywood and celebrities: Prohibition-era and postwar travel between Los Angeles and Tijuana brought many celebrities and socialites into contact with border restaurants. Word of the salad spread through gossip columns, travel writing, and returning patrons.
-
Restaurants and hotels: By mid-century, upscale hotels and restaurants in major U.S. cities adopted and adapted the dish. Chefs and restaurateurs added protein (grilled chicken, shrimp, steak), substituted kale or other greens, and created low-fat or vegetarian-friendly dressings.
-
Bottled and mass-produced dressings: The convenience of jarred Caesar dressings and bottled mixes in the latter half of the 20th century made the salad a staple in home kitchens. These commercial dressings often simplified ingredients (mayonnaise base, anchovy paste, powdered Parmesan) and standardized flavor profiles.
Global variations reflect local tastes and ingredients:
- Chicken Caesar, shrimp Caesar, and steak Caesar became common protein-enhanced entrée salads.
- Kale Caesar substitutes hearty kale leaves for romaine, sometimes massaged with oil to soften.
- Vegan Caesars replace anchovies and eggs with umami-rich ingredients like capers, miso, nutritional yeast, or tahini.
- Regional twists include using local cheeses, adding spicy elements, or substituting citrus or vinegars for lemon.
Culinary and cultural significance
The Caesar salad holds a unique place in culinary culture because it straddles categories: it’s both a simple side salad and a composed entrée; it’s theatrical yet approachable; it’s rooted in Italian-American and cross-border Mexican-American foodways. Its story also highlights how dishes evolve through improvisation, migration, and commercialization.
The debates about its origin—Cardini vs. di Lelio, anchovies vs. Worcestershire, raw vs. cooked egg—are less about definitive culinary truth than about identity: family legacies, regional pride, and the desire of restaurateurs to claim a signature creation. The salad’s adaptability has kept it relevant: chefs continually reinterpret it to suit contemporary tastes and dietary needs.
A basic “original-style” recipe (adapted for safety)
Ingredients:
- 3–4 heads romaine lettuce, washed and torn
- 1 large pasteurized egg yolk or 3 tbsp mayonnaise (for safer emulsification)
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1–2 small garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce (or 1–2 anchovy fillets mashed)
- ⁄3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- ⁄2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Croutons (made from day-old bread, cubed and toasted with olive oil and garlic)
Method (brief):
- Whisk egg yolk (or mayo), lemon juice, mustard, garlic, and Worcestershire/anchovy until smooth. Slowly drizzle in olive oil to emulsify. Stir in Parmesan.
- Toss dressing with romaine and croutons until coated. Top with extra Parmesan and black pepper. Serve immediately.
Why the controversy matters
The ongoing debate about the Caesar salad’s origins and ingredients illustrates broader themes in food history: the porous borders between culinary traditions, the role of myth-making in branding dishes, and how recipes change to meet safety, availability, and taste preferences. Arguing over whether Cardini or di Lelio “really” invented the salad is partly an exercise in storytelling—each claim reflects cultural memory and the human desire to anchor popular things to a named creator.
Conclusion
The Caesar salad’s journey from a probable Tijuana tableside improvisation to a global culinary staple demonstrates how simple combinations of ingredients can create enduring classics. The controversies—over authorship, anchovies, and raw eggs—are part of the dish’s lore and have helped keep it in public conversation. Whether you prefer a purist version prepared tableside, a modern kale twist, or a vegan reinterpretation, the essential appeal remains: brightness from lemon, creaminess from an emulsion, crunchy contrast from croutons, and umami depth from cheese or anchovies.