Cincinnati
chili is one of those improbable recipes, one that "could only happen in
America," or some place where immigrants meet immigrants and all
lay down their spatulas, have a good taste, and pick them up again, swapping
ideas, to create a new dish from the melting pot.
The
credit for inventing Cincinnati Chili always goes to "some immigrants from
Greece" and the earliest of these appears to be Tom (or Athanas)
Kiradjieff who, along with his brother John, opened a hot dog "parlor"
(larger than a stand, smaller than a restaurant) next to the Empress Burlesque
Theatre on Vine Street in Cincinnati in 1922.
The hot dogs, which were made famous on Coney Island, New York, were known as "coneys" and they were sometimes covered with grated cheddar cheese and chili, a meaty concoction from Texas and other parts of the southwest. However, the Kiradjieffs couldn't resist adding a few ingredients to the chili, spices that a Macedonian might like in his stew -- allspice, cinnamon, bay leaves, vinegar, -- that sort of thing. And they began serving the chili in a plate or a bowl without a hot dog and that was
Someone suggested adding pasta and that was
What about adding a mound of cheese? That was
Chopped onions would be added if you ordered it
Finally, if you liked beans with your chili, you could have it
The
Empress Chili Parlor flourished, and many of the employees struck
out on their own, changing the basic chili recipe according to individual
taste and attracting new customers in various sections of town. Today
you can still have Cincinnati Chili not only in Cincinnati, but also in
many franchised chili parlors in the midwest and south. You can also
order it to be sent to you frozen or in cans, and there is a recipe for
it as their "hometown dish" from the authors of the Joy
of Cooking.
The
thing that makes Cincinnatians' recipes different from the way you and
I would start cooking the chili is not only the spices, but also the method.
They do not start by browning the meat, but by boiling it! Here's
an example culled from several versions:
Cincinnati Chili
2 lbs. ground chuck
2 medium onions, finely
chopped
1 quart water
2 8-ounce cans tomato
sauce
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon garlic
powder
4 Tablespoons chili
powder
2 teaspoons ground
cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground
cloves
1/2 ounce unsweetened
chocolate
2 Tablespoons cider
vinegar
1 bay leaf, crumbled
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
sauce
2 teaspoons ground
cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 drops of Tabasco
sauce
2 teaspoons paprika
2 beef bouillon cubes
1 teaspoon Accent
(optional)
Bring the water to the boil and add the ground beef. Stir until the beef is separated and add the rest of the ingredients. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 2 to 3 hours, or until thickened. Cool, then refrigerate overnight. Skim off any accumulated fat and reheat the chili. Serves 6-8, with any or all of the following accompaniments: cooked spaghetti, finely grated cheddar cheese, chopped raw onion, cooked kidney beans, -- and oyster crackers on the side.
For more history on the subject, and to order chili online or start a franchise, click on their logos to visit these links:
For more variations on the recipe, you might want to consult the following links:
The chili graphics
are from Tony Koun via 
.
Who
Cooked That Up? is copyrighted 1999 by J.J. Schnebel
all rights reserved
for your pleasure and enlightenment
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