The Cobb salad is an American garden salad typically made with chopped salad greens (authentically romaine lettuce), The ingredients are laid out separately, often in neat rows. It is served as a main course.
Origin
Various stories recount how the salad was invented. One says that it came about in 1937 at the Hollywood Brown Derby restaurant, where it became a signature dish.
Another version of this story is that Robert Cobb prepared it for showman and theater owner Sid Grauman. It was finely chopped, because Grauman had just had dental work done, and couldn't chew well.
Yet another version of the creation is that Robert Kreis, executive chef at the restaurant, created the salad in 1929 (the year the Brown Derby's Hollywood location opened) and named it in honor of Cobb. The same source confirms that 1937 was the reported date of the version noted above, with Cobb making the salad.