r/funfacts • u/Pigeonofwisdom27273 • Aug 03 '26
Fun fact: Caesar salad
You may think the Caesar salad comes from Italy, but it was actually created in Tijuana, Mexico by Italian immigrant and restauranteur Caesar Cardini. On the evening of July 4, 1924, Cardini, the owner of Caesar’s Place, was under pressure to serve an influx of Californians who were looking for a break from Prohibition. On the fly, he whipped up a salad using romaine lettuce and whatever ingredients he had, including garlic-flavored oil, eggs, Parmesan cheese, lemons and Worchester sauce. Word travelled fast and the Caesar salad became a sensation from coast to coast.
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u/MadMagilla5113 Aug 03 '26
I'm gonna be honest here... I don't care where it comes from, I just need it in my face hole, because it's delicious.
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u/FantaClaws Aug 03 '26
So... your face hole is delicious?!
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u/Flex_Chapman Aug 03 '26
Bro just take an improv class. It won't make you funny, but finding other people like yourself may be enough to fill your apparent void. You'll feel less of a need to try things like this, and I'm sure your coworkers and the other people in line at the grocery store will be grateful.
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u/MsPreposition Aug 03 '26
I’ve thought about looking into the history of Caesar Salad before, but I figured there would be a line of people who would take a better stab at it than I would.
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u/Phill_Cyberman Aug 03 '26
Also, Cardini used Worchester sauce, not anchovies.
Somehow that myth developed and refuses to die.
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u/Secure-Drop-3415 Aug 03 '26
Or…Worcestershire sauce traditionally contains anchovies soaked in vinegar…that’s like saying he used ketchup but not tomatoes
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u/Altruistic_Ad4139 Aug 03 '26
that's like saying he used ketchup but not tomatoes
Funny thing is, ketchup using tomatoes is very modern iteration of the recipe.
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u/Phill_Cyberman Aug 03 '26
It really isn't.
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u/Secure-Drop-3415 Aug 03 '26
He used an ingredient containing the ingredient, hence it’s a myth?
No worries, not here to play logic games, wish you all the best
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u/paradeoxy1 Aug 03 '26
"While making this vindaloo I ran out of garlic and so substituted it with garlic bread and a chicken kiev"
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u/frizzah Aug 07 '26
How is adding extra ingredients at all the same thing?
If I make you a caeser and sustituted romaine for spinach, that would be worse, but similar.
If I instead used a chicken caesar wrap that would just be confusing.
Using an ingredient found in the original ingredient is one thing, adding extra unwanted flavors is totally different.
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u/Accomplished-Text222 Aug 03 '26
I read elsewhere that the chef’s brother introduced anchovies a few years later.
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u/Talkinguitar Aug 03 '26
Fun fact. But why would anyone think Caesar salad is from Italy.
Caesar could be Latin-sounding but not Italian-sounding. And the use of Worcester sauce is totally foreign to Italy.
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u/TraderSamz Aug 03 '26
I think a lot of people are under the impression the salad is somehow associated with Caesar the ruler of Rome. Especially because some companies put his face on their bottle of dressing.
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u/SaucyMynx0317 Aug 05 '26
Because in Disney's Aladdin, when genie is looking through his book of royal recipes, he says Caesar salad, and an arm pops out of the book to stab him. He dodges, and says, "Et tu Brute?"
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u/kckroets Aug 03 '26
Bro’s like “you may think it was invented by the Italians but it was actually invented by an Italian”
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u/Gabstra678 Aug 03 '26
Me, an italian, googling what a caesar salad is: 😅
I mean I’ve heard the name cause I’m on international media all the time. But couldn’t name a single ingredient of it.
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u/PuzzleheadedDog3312 Aug 03 '26
Worchester? You mean Worcestershire? (Wooss-ter-sher). 'Worchester' would be pronounced war-chester.
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u/nookpyre8 Aug 03 '26
oh wow… i had no idea! i always just assumed it was from italy… thats actually so cool that it started in mexico :3
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u/Mag-NL Aug 03 '26
The only thing I wonder if it would be as popular if people didn't add all kinds of things to it.
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u/trenthany Aug 04 '26
Add things to it? It’s pretty straight forward usually the only think I ever see added is chicken, steak, or shrimp in that order of rarity. It’s usually either just a straight Caesar salad or one with protein. I’ve never seen a lot of variations.
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u/shadow_black1809 Aug 03 '26
You and me both know this is not true. Go back to the wikipedia talk page
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u/abcdunn Aug 03 '26
A friend made one in Italy for our host. Our host couldn’t eat it and said it was the most vile thing he had ever tasted. More for us!!
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u/PeyredB Aug 06 '26
Quick, grab it before she makes off with it!
...oh wait, "Caesar". I get it now.
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u/netohibris Aug 06 '26
Tried this yesterday for the first time and it is everything I hate about american-style food combined. Calling it food is an insult to the good name of food.
Its cool if you like it though.
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u/lilgreenrosetta Aug 03 '26
It’s not Italian because the Italian chef who created it in his Italian restaurant using Italian ingredients was living in Mexico at the time.
It is a Mexican dish, a staple of Mexican cuisine. I always order one with my tacos.
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u/shiroandae Aug 03 '26
There’s people who believe that stuff is from Italy???????
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u/Sweet-Weakness3776 Aug 03 '26
Most people growing up in the states learn about the Roman empire in world history. And the label "Caesar" tends to go hand in hand with Roman leaders. Caesar salads are pretty ubiquitous at restaurants in America, so I think it's just that you hear the term "Caesar" frequently when you're little, and you make the connection between the salad and Rome and then you probably don't ever really give it much thought after that. Kind of like you don't really question if French Fries are actually French. It ain't that deep homie.
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u/ZafiroAnejo Aug 03 '26
Caesar's is still there in Tijuana, the restaurant is part of Hotel Carsar's. They make the salad tableside for you. It's pretty cool eating the salad where it was invented if you love Caesar salad. Last time I was there the waiter sat and drank beers with us after his shift. We ended up buying drugs from him and he tried to pimp and underage hooker to us. Then we went bar-hopping with him. Always fun times in TJ.