National Caesar Salad Day Date in the current year: July 4, 2024

Caesar salad doesn’t have anything to do with the famed Roman statesman and general of the same name. The dish was named after its creator, Italian chef, restaurateur and hotel owner Caesar (Cesare) Cardini, who immigrated to the United States and operated restaurants in Mexico to avoid the Prohibition restrictions.

He opened a restaurant in Tijuana in 1923, and its signature salad became a hit the following year. According to Cardini’s daughter Rosa, her father invented the salad during the Fourth of July rush, which left the kitchen’s supplies depleted. He made do with what he had and made a show of preparing and serving the salad tableside, tossing the ingredients together with great flair. Caesar salad quickly became popular among Hollywood stars and other celebrities who frequented Caesar’s restaurant.

The original Caesar salad is said to have included whole lettuce leaves, coddled eggs, Italian olive oil, lime juice, and Worcestershire sauce. As the salad was adopted in the United States, the original recipe was modified. Lemon juice was substituted for lime juice (likely due to a translation confusion since lime is called limón in Mexican Spanish), and anchovies were added to the dressing. Interestingly, Cardini is said to have been opposed to using anchovies in the salad, finding them too overwhelming; he insisted that the subtle flavor of anchovies provided by Worcestershire sauce was enough.

Today, there are many variations of Caesar salad, but the majority of them include most of the following ingredients: romaine lettuce, coddled eggs, croutons, and a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, anchovies, grated Parmesan cheese, crushed garlic, Dijon mustard, black pepper, and salt.

It is the dressing that makes Caesar salad so special. Today, you can buy different kinds of Caesar salad dressing at grocery stores and supermarkets, but nothing is better then a freshly made dressing with its burst of flavors.

Variations of Caesar salad may include other ingredients, for example, kale, arugula or other leafy greens in addition to romaine lettuce, meat such as bacon or grilled/roasted chicken, hard-boiled eggs, brussels sprouts, fresh tomatoes, asparagus, etc.

It is unclear who and when created National Caesar Salad Day, but its date was probably chosen to remind people that the famous salad was first served during the Independence Day weekend. To celebrate the holiday, go out to your favorite place that serves Caesar salad or cook the salad at home. You can stick to the classic recipe or experiment with creative takes on the famous salad.

And don’t forget to promote the holiday on social media using the hashtag #NationalCaesarSaladDay — since it tends to be overshadowed by the Fourth of July, which is not surprising, National Caesar Salad Day needs all the support it can get.