TikTok has birthed and boosted hundreds of food trends at this point. From festive candied cranberries to the viral cracking latte, TikTok users have a knack for spotting convenient, intriguing, and just plain yummy food tips. One trend that TikTok helped blast into virality is the Caesar salad and fries combo. Scrolling through the search results for “Caesar salad and fries” on the app will bring you hundreds of videos of this classically delicious pairing, often with a Diet Coke or dirty martini. And TikTok is really onto something with this one…again.
The Caesar salad and fries combination is undeniably good. The creamy Caesar dressing, crisp, cold lettuce, and the greasy, crunchy-then-fluffy fries are a complimentary blend. Textural harmony and familiar flavors meld together into pure appetizer goodness. It’s no wonder this trend gained so much traction. It’s even woven itself into the other viral trend of “girl dinner.” Though it’s somewhat up to interpretation, “girl dinner” is an ode to snack plates of mismatched ingredients brought together by instinct and cravings. It’s combinations of foods that by themselves might not make a whole meal but together are just the right amount of not-too-filling, delicious, and perhaps a tad unconventional. Girl dinner doesn’t mean Caesar salad and fries, but a Caesar salad and fries is girl dinner. Get it?
How to build upon the viral basics of Caesar salad and fries
Caesar salad and French fries feels like a kismet, scientifically perfect food pairing. And there might actually be some science behind it. Studies show that humans like crunchy food. Beyond making the experience of eating more stimulating, our brains perceive crunchy textures in food as a positive thing and a potential indicator of nutrition and freshness. So, crunchy romaine lettuce and fries truly is a perfect pair to delight our human senses with. Up the crunch factor even more by making homemade croutons or skip them all together and top your Caesar salad with crispy chickpeas instead. You can add more texture to any salad by dicing up celery and adding it in, and the same goes for radishes, jicama, and cucumbers.
Now, Caesar salad and French fries are already pretty perfect dishes on their own. So, while there may be some room to zhuzh them up a bit, the real fun can be had when selecting a drink to pair with them. The classic pairing is a perfectly chilled dirty martini, but you can add even more Caesar salad flair by swapping the olives and olive juice out for caper berries and brine. A good glass of wine is another elegant drink to serve alongside the viral food combination. A white wine pairs best with Caesar salad, with a dry pinot grigio, chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, or Riesling being your best bet. Many on TikTok choose Diet Coke as their drink of choice alongside the Caesar and fries, but any sweet and syrupy bubbles should do—Cherry Coke, Sprite, Dr. Pepper, cream soda, ginger ale—you name it. Try it for yourself, and don’t forget to snap a few pics.
