10 Famous Recipes Named After Real People

Easy Chicken Tetrazzini

While chicken Tetrazzini was named after Luisa Tetrazzini, a popular Italian opera singer in the early 20th century, the dish has origins in San Francisco. A rumor is that Ernest Arbogast, a chef at the Palace Hotel where Tetrazzini often stayed, created the creamy, mushroom and chicken pasta in her honor. This no-frills recipe features spaghetti and chicken breasts in a rich sauce boosted with cream of chicken soup and Cheddar cheese.

Cobb Salad

The Cobb salad was born at Hollywood’s Brown Derby restaurant in the 1930s, when owner Robert Cobb tossed together kitchen leftovers for a late-night meal. The result became a star in its own right—loaded with chicken, bacon, avocado, blue cheese, and crisp lettuce. If you make the salad at home, Allrecipes senior producer Nicole Mclaughlin recommends squeezing some lemon juice on your avocados to prevent them from browning.

Classic Caesar Salad

The Caesar salad was not created by Julius Caesar, but rather by Italian immigrant Caesar Cardini in Tijuana, Mexico. The salad’s backstory is often tied to a busy night at Cardini’s restaurant, aptly named Caesar’s Place, where he came up with a dish using ingredients on hand to satisfy hungry customers. Allrecipes community member sarahcrites’ rendition, made with anchovy- and egg-yolk-based dressing, is the same one she whipped up working at a restaurant in college.

Authentic Pizza Margherita

Pizza Margherita is famously linked to Italy’s Queen Margherita of Savoy, who favored a pizza topped with tomato, mozzarella, and basil (the colors of the Italian flag) in the late 1880s. Though the story’s authenticity is debated, the Neapolitan pizza’s iconic status is not. Allrecipes’ tried-and-true recipe is inspired by the pizza at Bar Del Corso in Seattle.

Salisbury Steak

Salisbury steak has humble and surprisingly health-driven roots. It was created in the late 1800s by Dr. James Salisbury, who believed a diet of minced beef patties could cure digestive issues. While Salisbury’s medical theories may not have stood the test of time, his brown-gravy-slathered dish is still a popular today. Plus, you can make it at home with just a few kitchen essentials using our popular Salisbury Steak recipe, which is perfect paired with creamy mashed potatoes!

Tarte Tatin

The elegant upside-down apple tart is credited to sisters Caroline and Stéphanie Tatin, who served the dish at their inn outside of Paris. While preparing dinner for guests, Stéphanie forgot to put a pie crust on the bottom of her apple pie. After realizing her mistake, she put the crust on top instead and flipped the dessert over to discover a perfectly caramelized apple topping. Chef John’s recipe is a faithful rendition of the original, turning pastry dough, butter, apples, and sugar into crowd-pleasing masterpiece.

Super Nachos

If you’re a fan of melted-cheese-cloaked chips, raise a chip to Ignacio Anaya Garcia (nickname “Nacho”), who invented the popular Tex-Mex dish in 1943 while working at the Victory Club restaurant near the Texas border in Mexico. Less than 20 years later, he opened his own restaurant, El Nacho. While there are countless riffs on the now-ubiquitous dish, we’re partial to oven-baked Super Nachos, a sheet pan of chips blanketed with taco-seasoned ground beef, refried beans, salsa, jalapeños, and cheese.

Eggs Benedict

There are multiple rumors about the birthplace of eggs Benedict. Delmonico’s restaurant in Lower Manhattan claims chef Charles Ranhofer came up with the combination in the 1860s when regular Mrs. LeGrand Benedict requested something new. But the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel says its maître d’hôtel Oscar Tschirsky (who also ironically had a tenure at Delmonico’s) put eggs Benedict on its menu after seeing a hungover customer named Lemuel Benedict order the components of the dish.

While we never know the true origins, there’s no denying the breakfast and brunch staple’s appeal. This eggs Benedict recipe tastes and looks like it came from a fancy restaurant but is easy to make at home. If you’re feeding a crowd, try our decadent Eggs Benedict Casserole.

Rockin’ Oysters Rockefeller

Oysters Rockefeller was born in 1899 at Antoine’s, a legendary New Orleans restaurant. The rich, buttery green sauce was so luxurious, they named it after the wealthiest man of the time—John D. Rockefeller. The exact recipe is still a secret, but the dish’s indulgent reputation lives on through a wealth of recipes. The ingredient list for Rockin’ Oysters Rockefeller includes bacon, beer, three types of cheese, and lots of butter to produce an ultra-decadent appetizer.

Beef Stroganoff

Beef Stroganoff was named after members of a wealthy Russian family in the 18th century. What started as a simple dish of sautéed beef in a mustard-cream sauce has evolved into the creamy, mushroom-studded classic we know and love today. Whether you serve our popular American-style Beef Strogenoff recipe over egg noodles, rice, or mashed potatoes, it’s a bowlful of comfort.

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