What Caesar Did for My Salad

The Curious Stories Behind Our Favorite Foods

Ebook
On sale Sep 06, 2011 | 304 Pages | 9781101551141

Did you know...

  • the term "hot dog" is believed to have been coined during a baseball game between the Yankees and the Giants in 1901?
  • calzones get their name from their less-than-glamorous looks: calzone means "trouser leg" or "drooping sack" in Italian?
  • the word "salary" comes from Roman soldiers being paid their wages in salt?
  • shrimp cocktail became popular in the 1920s as a safe way of "having a cocktail" during Prohibition?
  • the Cobb salad was invented by Robert H. Cobb-founder of the Brown Derby restaurant chains-who threw the salad together for Sidney Grauman-owner of the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood-as a midnight snack based on ingredients in his refrigerator?

    In What Caesar Did For My Salad, historian Albert Jack offers a fascinating look at the unexpected stories, creators, and bizarre origins behind the world's most beloved dishes. Who was Margherita, for instance, and why was the world's most famous pizza named after her?

    Why do we call our favorite kinds of coffee espresso or cappuccino? Did medieval Turkish soldiers really invent the kebab by threading bits of meat on to their swords and balancing them on top of their campfires? What exactly does horseradish sauce have to do with our equine friends?

    From your morning eggs to America's favorite pies, fries, and martinis, you'll never look at your kitchen pantry or refrigerator in the same light again.

Albert Jack lives in Cape Town, South Africa. He is the author of Loch Ness Monsters and Raining Frogs: The World's Most Puzzling Mysteries Solved. His first book, Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origin Of Phrases We Use Every Day, was published by Harper in 2006. View titles by Albert Jack

About

Did you know...

  • the term "hot dog" is believed to have been coined during a baseball game between the Yankees and the Giants in 1901?
  • calzones get their name from their less-than-glamorous looks: calzone means "trouser leg" or "drooping sack" in Italian?
  • the word "salary" comes from Roman soldiers being paid their wages in salt?
  • shrimp cocktail became popular in the 1920s as a safe way of "having a cocktail" during Prohibition?
  • the Cobb salad was invented by Robert H. Cobb-founder of the Brown Derby restaurant chains-who threw the salad together for Sidney Grauman-owner of the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood-as a midnight snack based on ingredients in his refrigerator?

    In What Caesar Did For My Salad, historian Albert Jack offers a fascinating look at the unexpected stories, creators, and bizarre origins behind the world's most beloved dishes. Who was Margherita, for instance, and why was the world's most famous pizza named after her?

    Why do we call our favorite kinds of coffee espresso or cappuccino? Did medieval Turkish soldiers really invent the kebab by threading bits of meat on to their swords and balancing them on top of their campfires? What exactly does horseradish sauce have to do with our equine friends?

    From your morning eggs to America's favorite pies, fries, and martinis, you'll never look at your kitchen pantry or refrigerator in the same light again.

Author

Albert Jack lives in Cape Town, South Africa. He is the author of Loch Ness Monsters and Raining Frogs: The World's Most Puzzling Mysteries Solved. His first book, Red Herrings and White Elephants: The Origin Of Phrases We Use Every Day, was published by Harper in 2006. View titles by Albert Jack

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