Cobb salad

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The Cobb salad was a signature menu item of the legendary Brown Derby in Hollywood, a landmark restaurant in Los Angeles, California. Variations of the salad are now served in restaurants world-wide. The original recipe contained:

1. Lettuce (head lettuce, watercress, chicory, and romaine)
2. Tomatoes
3. Crisp bacon
4. Chicken breast
5. Hard-cooked eggs
6. Avocado
7. Roquefort cheese
8. Chives
9. Special Cobb salad vinaigrette [1]

The salad was presented to the customer on a plate, then chopped fine with knives before serving.

In 1937, Brown Derby owner Robert H. Cobb went into the restaurant's kitchen to fix a late night snack for Sid Grauman of the Chinese Theater. He combed the refrigerator for what ingredients he could find and chopped them up finely because Grauman was suffering from a terrible toothache. Thus, the Cobb salad was born. From then on, Grauman would always request that a Cobb salad be prepared for him. The news about this wonderful creation spread quickly throughout Hollywood making it an instant hit, therefore it was added to the menu.

The Hollywood Brown Derby Restaurant at Disney-MGM Studios in Walt Disney World, a 90% accurate replica of the original, allows guests to experience the tantalizing flavors of this delicious salad.

[edit] Cobb salad dressing

Although there are many variations on the dressing used for a Cobb salad, this one is purported to be the one originally used at the Brown Derby. [2]

• 1/4 cup water
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dry English mustard
• 1 small clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/4 cup full-flavored olive oil
• 3/4 cup salad oil

[edit] The Cobb salad in popular culture

The origin of the Cobb salad was also the subject of the 'Trick or Treat' episode in Series two of Curb Your Enthusiasm. One of the characters claims that his grandfather invented the salad in the Drake Hotel in Illinois and that Robert H. Cobb stole the idea from his grandfather.

Jennifer Aniston, who acted in the popular TV sitcom "Friends" as the character "Rachel" from 1994 to 2004, said in an interview with Oprah Winfrey that she ate a Cobb salad for lunch every day for the whole duration of the show, "mixing it up a little" by adding onions on Thursdays and Fridays.

The Cobb salad was a staple on the show Sex and the City. Not surprisingly, the women on the show ate more salads than other foods, and the Cobb salad was one of Carrie's favorites.