There are a number of different versions of the origin of the venerable Caesar salad. My own discovery of the Caesar salad was in the 1980s at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas. I was being wined and dined at one of the casino’s high-end restaurants at the time, where the waiter prepared and tossed the Caesar salad at the tableside. After presenting the salad he grated on extra pepper with a pepper mill about a yard long.

As a young and impressionable young woman, I was duly impressed with both the drama of the preparation and the amazingly fresh taste. 

Now, Caesar salads are ubiquitous in American life, offered everywhere from four star restaurants to McDonalds. Quality varies considerably, of course, with the bottled dressings barely resembling the true Caesar dressing.

If you’re a Caesar salad fan and are using a bottled dressing, take a moment to examine the ingredients you’re consuming. For example, here are the ingredients in the Hidden Valley Caesar Dressing:

Water, Vegetable Oil (Soybean Oil and/or Canola Oil), Maltodextrin, Sugar, Nonfat Milk, Egg Yolk, less than 2% of Salt, Romano Cheese (Cultured Pasteurized Part-skim Milk and Enzymes), Tomato Paste, Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures), Natural Flavors, Milk Protein, Butter, Modified Food Starch, Tamarind, Hydrolyzed Corn/Soy/Wheat Protein, Anchovy Extract, Yeast Extract, Lemon Juice Concentrate, Garlic, Onion, Spices, Garlic Puree, Xanthan Gum, Propylene Glycol Alginate, Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium Phosphate, Disodium Inosinate and Disodium Guanylate, Phosphoric Acid, Lactic Acid, Vinegar, With Sorbic Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate and Calcium Disodium Edta As Preservatives.

Frankly, I think if you can’t pronounce something, you shouldn’t eat it.

Now, here is a real, fresh, Caesar salad dressing. The traditional Caesar salad is made of torn romaine lettuce, grated parmesan and croutons. I have also had divine Caesar salads that included such items as corn, sprouts, capers and zucchini. Simply toss your preferred ingredients with the dressing below and enjoy!

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 raw egg (1 tablespoon mayonnaise can be used in lieu of the raw egg)
pinch of sugar

Place the salad dressing ingredients in the bottom of a large salad bowl and mix well. Toss in salad ingredients to mix.

Thanks for visiting! Please leave a comment or email me at freshfoodsexaminer@gmail.com if you have a question. You can also follow my musings and daily menu adventures in 140 characters or less on Twitter at @RobinWedewer.

If you are interested in gardening, I’m also writing at the National Gardening Examiner and about my potager at Bumblebee. Mosey on over and visit me there!

Don’t miss a single Fresh Food column. Click SUBSCRIBE below to get email notifications.