Caesar salad celebrates its 101st birthday in July 2025. We look at the origins of the popular dish — surprisingly, it doesn’t involve a certain Roman emperor.
I’ve had a proper Caesar salad from a 3rd generation chef (the person he learned it from had learned it from Caesar himself). According to that chef, the salad was something Caesar himself ate regularly for lunch (as it was quick, easy, and cheap). The restaurant was running low on ingredients, but he had everything he needed for the salad, so started serving it to his customers.
I’ve had a proper Caesar salad from a 3rd generation chef (the person he learned it from had learned it from Caesar himself). According to that chef, the salad was something Caesar himself ate regularly for lunch (as it was quick, easy, and cheap). The restaurant was running low on ingredients, but he had everything he needed for the salad, so started serving it to his customers.