So no one told you lunch would be this way… or that Jennifer Aniston‘s alleged ‘favorite’ salad she was rumored to consume daily for 10 years on the set of “Friends” isn’t ACTUALLY what she ate every day!
If you’re a TikTok user, there’s a good chance you have seen a video, (or ten), on your ‘for you page’ detailing how to make the salad Aniston has been rumored to have eaten for an entire decade.
The videos always meticulously detail the many ingredients that go into the extremely chickpea-friendly salad, and users almost always seem to be satisfied with the healthy and aesthetically pleasing meal.
In reality, though, the viral TikTok salad is just that, and actually has no affiliation with Aniston, herself!
Could This BE Any More Disappointing?
@the_bottomlesspit Will this make my arms look like hers? #jenniferanistonsalad #quinoasalad #mediterraneansalad #saladrecipes #easylunchideas #ByeByeSundayBlues ♬ Just a Cloud Away – Pharrell Williams
Our cravings for a viral lunch may have lessened just a bit since Aniston offered some clarity into the viral salad’s story.
The actress, who of course played beloved ‘friend’ Rachel Green for ten seasons of “Friends,” recently spoke to Elle, revealing the viral salad was actually not the salad she had eaten for lunch while filming the show.
The unofficially coined ‘Legend of the TikTok Salad’ DOES have some truth to the story! The behind-the-scenes tidbit about Aniston’s daily eating habits had originated from an interview in the Los Angeles Times, which Elle also reports, was done with Courteney Cox, 11 years ago.
In the interview, Cox shared, “Jennifer and Lisa [Kudrow] and I ate lunch together every day for 10 years. And we always had the same thing- a Cobb salad. But it really wasn’t a Cobb salad. It was a Cobb salad that Jennifer doctored up… she just has a way with food, which really helps. Because if you’re going to eat a salad every day for 10 years, it better be a good salad, right?” (via KatieCouric.com).
If it’s any consolation, Aniston paid the viral sensation a compliment!
“It looks like a delicious salad,” she told Elle, “but that’s not the one I had on ‘Friends.'”
But there is one ingredient in the salad Aniston would probably reduce if she ever were to give it a try.
She added the amount of chickpeas featured in the salad, (a whole can!), would “not be good for the digestive tract.”
Well, What If We Still Want To Make The Legendary Salad?
The disappointing news doesn’t take away from how delicious the salad seems to taste!
Its recipe has been circulating online and, yes, the rumors are true, the ingredients contain an entire can of chickpeas.
The recipe, via Katie Couric’s website, is as follows:
It calls for 3.5 cups of cooked bulgur wheat
2 to 3 chopped cucumbers (small)
1/2 cup of chopped parsley
1/2 cup of chopped mint
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/2 cup chopped pistachios
1 can (15 oz.) of chickpeas. drain and rinse them.
1 lemon for its juice
1/4 cup of virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
and then finally, a 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese.
Mix these ingredients together, and viola! The viral salad, often attributed to Jennifer Aniston, is ready to go!
