Caesar Salad: Born in Tijuana, but Avoided by Tourists

Travel Blog  •  Joanna Kakissis  •  10.22.08 | 3:03 PM ET

imageIn 1924, an Italian immigrant running a restaurant in Tijuana threw together a last-minute salad for some friends. Caesar Cardini’s creation—the ingredients included lettuce, garlic and bread chunks—went international, gracing the menus of restaurants around the world. But tourists who fear digestive distress caused by Mexican water won’t order the iconic salad at Caesar’s restaurant, which Julia Child loved and is still open today.

Jorge Chavez, who manages Caesar’s today, told The New York Times that he takes great pains to disinfect the lettuce and says he’d “put up our salad against anyone, anywhere.”

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Photo by wordridden via Flickr (Creative Commons).