From which country does Caesar salad originate?

caesar salad originate
caesar salad

From which country does Caesar salad originate?

A: USA B: ITALY or C: MEXICO

Our quiz winning question really threw us. We here at Ingredient Solution all plumped for Italy and were all wrong. We always the research the answer to the questions on our shortlist of potential winners, so be warned! The story behind the origins of Caesar salad is worth telling. Lewis McNamee very usefully published an extended history of the name on Encyclopedia Britannica on the 12 Oct. 2022. 

The gist of which is as follows. In 1924 an Italian-born restaurateur, Cesare Cardini, moved his restaurant from San Diego, California, to Tijuana, Mexico, to escape the restrictions of Prohibition. What self-respecting foody would eat an Italian meal without a glass or two of wine to slurp?  Not us. 

So, to avoid prosecution and keep his diners satisfied he up sticks and moved his restaurant from San Diego, California, to Tijuana, just across the US-Mexican border. So popular was his restaurant with bibulous Americans as well as Mexicans, that Cardini frequently ran out of food. One busy holiday weekend Cardini ran out of some of the ingredients he usually used for his ‘insalata mista.’ Rummaging through his store cupboard and raiding neighbouring shops he assembled a concoction comprising romaine lettuce, Parmesan cheese, lemons, bread cubes, olive oil, eggs, and Worcestershire sauce. To add a bit of spice to the experience he got his chefs to mix and toss the ingredients at the table, and so Caesar salad was born.  

McNamee, Gregory Lewis. “Caesar salad”. Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/topic/Caesar-salad. Accessed 15 December 2022. 

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