The Caesar salad was invented by Cesare (Caesar) Cardini, an Italian immigrant and restaurateur, on July 4, 1924, at his restaurant in Tijuana, Mexico. The salad was created out of necessity when the kitchen was running low on ingredients during a busy Fourth of July weekend, and Cardini used what was available to assemble the original Caesar salad. The salad was famously prepared tableside and originally featured whole romaine lettuce leaves, raw egg yolk, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, Worcestershire sauce, lime juice, and croutons. Cardini's brother, Alex, is also sometimes credited with refining the salad by adding anchovies and changing the presentation. This invention took place during the Prohibition era in the US, which led to the restaurant's popularity in Tijuana as a place for food and alcohol.
