The Caesar salad is popular just about everywhere today, and is pretty much a staple dish on many Italian-American restaurant menus.

But did you know that the Caesar salad is not really an Italian dish? I guess most people think the name "Caesar" refers to the famous Roman general, but it does not. It refers to Caesar Cardini , the chef who first created the dish and served it in his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. Cardini was an Italian immigrant, but the dish did not really have roots in his native land. He only came up with it (according to his daughter) after a food rush on the Fourth of July in 1924 when he had to figure out something to serve based on what was left in the kitchen.

The original recipe also does not contain any anchovies - something people either love or hate on their Caesar salads today (I love them, personally, but want them smashed into the dressing and tossed with the salad, not limply laid on top.) The anchovy taste in the original was from the use of Worcestershire sauce. So people who quibble about what should or shouldn't be in an "authentic" Caesar salad really should take note of this.

Of course today there are countless versions of the salad prepared: sometimes topped with grilled chicken or shrimp, sometimes including tomatoes or bacon, or using tortilla strips instead of bread croutons. I personally love to make a Caesar salad using lightly grilled kale leaves instead of romaine lettuce. But one thing I really think is essential to a great Caesar salad is to properly toss it with the dressing, cheese, and croutons; a Caesar just isn't very good if served dry with the dressing on the side or otherwise not combined. I also prefer making my own dressing fresh from scratch every time; it's not that hard and I can leave out the raw garlic which tends to give me an upset stomach anyway (I'll use a little garlic powder instead.)

How about you: are you a Caesar salad fan, and what's your favorite way to prepare it?

Original image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wordridden/2526751153/

» Photo by Jessica Spengler on Flickr, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic