Caesar Salad: Italian, American, or Mexican?

Описание: Caesar Salad: Italian, American, or Mexican?

The Caesar Salad is one of the most famous “Italian” dishes in the world — except it wasn’t invented in Italy.

In this episode of Italian Food Therapy, I explore the surprising origin of Caesar Salad, created in Tijuana, Mexico, by Italian immigrant Caesar Cardini in the 1920s. From Prohibition-era border crossings to the evolution of the dressing, this dish tells a story of migration, adaptation, and identity.

Was it Italian? American? Mexican? Or all three at the same time?

I also recreate the original-style Caesar Salad, including a coddled egg version of the dressing — simple, bold, and surprisingly modern.

If there’s an Italian or Italian-American dish you’ve always wondered about, tell me — it might become a future episode.

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🥗 CAESAR SALAD (Original-Style)

Dressing

2 cloves crushed garlic
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Fresh ground black pepper
1 large egg
Juice of 1 lime or 1/2 lemon
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

Salad

2 hearts of Romaine
croutons
extra Parmigiano to sprinkle

Instructions:

Wash the romaines hearts and put them in the refrigerator uncovered for at least an hour so that they dry out and get nice and chilled.
For the dressing: in a large bowl, mix the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, cracked pepper, egg yolk, fresh lime juice.
While stirring, slowly drizzle in the olive oil in a thin stream. After the oil has been added, mix in the parmesan cheese.
Add the chilled romaine to the bowl and gently toss to evenly coat the romaine with the dressing.
To serve: Arrange several pieces of the romaine on a chilled plate, top with a bit more grated parmesan cheese, add the croutons, and serve.

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⏱ CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro
00:30 Who was Caesar Cardini?
01:20 Tijuana & Prohibition
01:47 The original recipe
03:06 Coddling the egg
04:15 Assembling the salad
06:34 Italian, American, or Mexican?

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Italian Food Therapy explores Italian and Italian-American food through history, migration, and memory.