It was something a little bit thrilling to see my first article in the San Diego Union-Tribune as the lead article of the Food section on May 15th.
Just about everyone loves the Caesar salad. There is something about the elegant perfection of a few good ingredients combined in just the right proportions. There is something about the crisp freshness and slight bitterness of the romaine lettuce, the soothing umami of the Parmesan cheese, textural contrast of the big, garlicky crouton and the way the acidity, richness and mysteriously funky flavors of the dressing manage to achieve simplicity and depth at the same time. It all just fits together gracefully.
Not everyone loves what the Caesar salad has become. In the hands of countless chain restaurants and strip mall sandwich shops, cheap chopped lettuce, mayonnaise-based and bottled dressings and the addition of characterless cubes of chicken or shrimp (for a few bucks more) have cheapened the Caesar. They’ve commoditized it.
But while the essence of the true Caesar salad is its simplicity, the salad’s history is anything but simple.