NATIONAL CAESAR SALAD DAY
NATIONAL CAESAR SALAD DAY
National Caesar Salad Day on July 4 commemorates the time-honored tradition of the classic Caesar salad dressing. Though its distinct ingredients can make some people a bit squeamish, it remains one of the most popular salads in the world, boasting an undeniably legendary flavor profile.
#NationalCaesarSaladDay
Caesar salad is said to have been invented by an Italian-born restaurateur and chef named Caesar Cardini. After immigrating the U.S. Cardini eventually operated restaurants in California and just across the border in Tijuana, Mexico. Legend says during a hectic Fourth of July weekend in 1924, his restaurant kitchen was running low on supplies. Not wanting to turn away hungry Hollywood guests who had traveled across the border to escape Prohibition, Cardini gathered the few ingredients he had left—romaine lettuce, garlic, croutons, Parmesan cheese, boiled eggs, olive oil, and Worcestershire sauce—and dramatically tossed them tableside to create a culinary legend.
When Cardini first served the salad, he didn't use chopped lettuce eaten with a fork. He used whole, intact leaves of romaine lettuce. The leaves were coated in the dressing and arranged on the plate stem-side out, intentionally designed for guests to pick up by the stalk and eat with their fingers.
Did you know?
50 percent of the restaurant menus in the U.S. serve Caesar salad.
To distract his guests from the fact that he was serving them a makeshift meal out of leftover scraps, Cardini decided to make the preparation a dramatic performance. He rolled a cart right up to the guests' tables and tossed the ingredients with massive flair, theatricality, and panache. The crowd loved the entertainment so much that tableside Caesar preparation became an overnight sensation and a lasting tradition.
Cardini later moved to Los Angeles and launched a successful business bottling and marketing his famous Caesar dressing, which is still a grocery store staple today.
HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL CAESAR SALAD DAY
Make a Caesar salad at home with as much celebration and flair as Chef Cardini did. If you aren't up for cooking, visit a local restaurant to enjoy one—after all, half the menus in the country have you covered! Share your culinary creations or restaurant finds on social media using the hashtag #NationalCaesarSaladDay.
NATIONAL CAESAR SALAD DAY HISTORY
We were unable to identify the founder of National Caesar Salad Day. However, this day is relevant to the history of the Caesar salad.