If you search online for Chicago’s most famous dishes, you’ll probably come across Chicago-style hot dogs, deep-dish pizza, and Chicago beef.
But there’s much more than meets the eye, say food historians David Hammond and Monica Eng. For locals, the city’s more distinctive cuisine is a reflection of its rich immigrant history.
Let’s take the mother-in-law, for example.
The deliciousness begins with a cornbread tamale in a sesame seed bun, topped with chili and the usual dressings of a Chicago-style hot dog – tomatoes, peppers and other goodies. Anthony Bourdain once called the sandwich “the evil stepbrother of the hot dog.”
“But he also called it the most unique Chicago original dish,” Hammond said as the piping hot chili-stuffed heart attack bun sat on the table at The Hat in the Wicker Park neighborhood. “And I think there’s something to that. I haven’t seen it anywhere else.”
The mix of flavors at Mother-in-Law is a reflection of the immigrants from all over the world who have come to the city.
But why the name “mother-in-law”? “Because this one causes indigestion just like a mother-in-law,” said Eng.
Hammond and Eng walked us through some of the city’s most distinctive culinary offerings, including a drink combination called the “Chicago Handshake” – a shot of Jeppson’s Malört washed down with a can of Old Style Lager.
Watch the video above to learn more about Chicago’s unique dishes and how they came about.
