The salad's creation is generally attributed to restaurateur Caesar Cardini, an Italian-born Mexican. The trademarks "Cardini's", "Caesar Cardini's" and "The Original Caesar Dressing" are all claimed to date to February 1950, though they were only registered decades later, and more than a dozen varieties of bottled Cardini's dressing are available today. Some recipes include one or more of mustard, avocado, tomato, bacon bits, garlic cloves or anchovies. Cardini's Brand original Caesar dressing is somewhat different from Cardini's daughter Rosa's version. Typical ingredients include:
- olive oil
- fresh garlic
- salt
- freshly-ground black pepper
- wine vinegar
- freshly squeezed lemon or lime juice
- Worcestershire sauce
- raw or coddled egg yolks