If you ask ten people about Chicago cuisine, there’s a good chance the first answer will be “deep dish pizza”. However, if you hang out in the city for a bit longer, you will notice many people have another obsession: the Chicago Hot Dog.
The Chicago hot dog is so much more than just a sausage on a bun; in fact, it is so important to the city that it is considered a cultural landmark. The locals can get very excited about hot dog ingredients, and tourists frequently ask what the toppings are all about. There is also one condiment that Chicagoans simply will not tolerate, so if you want to be respectful during your visit to Chicago, you will want to learn about the Chicago hot dog almost as much as you want to experience the skyline.
When the Chicago hot dog made its debut in Chicago, the city had a long history of sausage-making. The large influx of German immigrants who arrived in Chicago in the 1800s relocated with a wealth of sausage recipes and methods that had been used throughout their European homeland for many years.
At the same time, in the 1800s, Chicago began to develop as one of the largest meat processing centers in the world. Affordable sausages provided a simple yet filling meal option for workers and families who were looking for inexpensive ways to feed large numbers of people.
By the time street vendors began populating the neighborhoods; the busy residents were able to purchase hot dogs. A hot dog is an excellent option for the growing industrial city because it is portable, inexpensive and satisfying.
Today’s visitors to Chicago typically would not see what the original hot dog would have looked like.
As early as the early 20th century meat production methods were coming under scrutiny by the general public. The growing number of Jewish residents in Chicago created a demand for kosher-style products. Thus, creating an inclination for meat producers to produce beef sausage as opposed to making pork products.
Transitioning to meat sausage that was mainly beef led to the foundation of one of the city’s most recognizable food traditions – the Chicago-style hot dog.
What began as a practical solution has now transformed into one of the great defining traits of the city’s culinary culture. The reasons that Chicago hot dogs seem so over-loaded is actually pretty simple – affordable food.
When the Great Depression hit, adding toppings to a simple hot dog transformed a simple piece of food into something that was significant. By adding inexpensive fresh pieces of vegetables, pickles, onions and peppers, a customer would receive something that made his/her meal much heartier.
Vendors came up with the concept of creating an interesting combo of ingredients, as opposed to just offering regular sausage. Some of them have since established this as the typical hot dog recipe used across the country.
To make an authentic hotdog in the style of Chicago, you need to follow a few basic guidelines. There are variations that different restaurants have, however all agree on the basic ingredients.
It starts with a standard all beef hotdog placed in a fresh soft poppyseed bun. From here, it is topped with all of the ingredients to create layers of taste.
Starting at the bottom, yellow mustard provides a sharp taste to the hotdog, except for the sweet relish which provides a bit of sweetness. Onions provide a crunchy texture and freshness, tomatoes provide a juiciness, kosher dill pickle provides a nice bite and sport peppers provide a bit of spice. Finally, the addition of celery salt helps to tie everything together.
This will create a rainbow colored hotdog that will look as if it were built upon a small salad.
Although first time visitors may find this combination to be unusual; the balance of flavor and texture is surprisingly good.
Every city has its food traditions, but none are defended as fiercely as this one.
In Chicago putting ketchup on your hotdog is considered to be nearly a crime.
If you ask a group of devoted Chicago hot dog lovers about ketchup they will most likely express their disdain for adding ketchup to a Chicago dog. Many think that ketchup ruins the careful balance of a Chicago dog by masking the other subtle flavors and spices. Others feel that ketchup is simply too sweet and does not complement the other bounty of toppings.
Ketchup has been condemned as unacceptable for Chicago dogs so much that it has now made its way into the food culture of the city of Chicago. Many Chicagoans wear this no-ketchup Chicago dog thing with a badge of pride and do not want to see it changing.
Visitors can certainly enjoy their Chicago dogs any way that they choose, but if one wants the full effect and experience of enjoying a true Chicago dog; they need to respect the local tradition.
A Chicago dog is like a small piece of the city’s history.
Each of the toppings used tells a little part of the city’s story. Chicago has been shaped by waves of immigration, so people brought their sausage-inspired culinary traditions with them—they added this sausage to buns with tall, robust toppings. After the city of Chicago experienced great economic hardship, there was a creative array of toppings added due to this hardship. Over time, as Chicago has continued to grow and change through immigration, many diverse communities added their unique imprints on the toppings.
Together, these diverse ingredients/chapters combine to represent not just a meal, but a snapshot of the cultural evolution of Chicago, and they’ll be served together inside of bun sandwich. This unique connection to the food may explain why so many locals have such a sentimental connection to it.
A great aspect of visiting Chicago is that there are so many hot dog stands.
There are hot dog stands in the neighborhoods, family-owned restaurants, and sports venues; some are even large chains scattered throughout Chicago.
The debate among Chicagoans for the best hot dog is one of the longest-running debates. This is because, when you ask a random five Chicagoans where their favorite place is for a hot dog, you’re likely to get multiple answers.
Rather than try to find a “one stop shop” for hot dogs, a lot of visitors use the hot dog experience as a culinary adventure, sampling multiple places during their visit.
Each neighbourhood will have its own collection of hot dog enthusiasts.
To someone visiting Chicago for the first time, the hot dog can seem like a daunting food item because there are so many toppings, different colourful toppings, and so many people with their own opinions when it comes to the hot dog.
However, the crunchy pickle, herbed goodness of the sausage, sweet relish, and peppers combine to create a hot dog like none other.
So it comes as no surprise that many tourists read about the hot dog after their trip when they tell others about Chicago; In addition to Architecture, Museums, or a Skyline.
Certain types of food gain popularity for being extravagant while other types of food gain popularity by being fashionable.
The Chicago Style hot dog gained its availability through being the quintessential representation of the City of Chicago; hardworking, diverse people are practical with lots of personality.
Each type of topping has its own individual reason for being used, each type of topping has a story to tell, and each Chicagoan appears anxious to inform you why their favourite Chicago Hot Dog vendor is superior to those vendors.
If you have Chicago listed on your itinerary and could stop and enjoy one of these delicious hot dogs, it would be a good idea to do so.
Please remember one key point before you place an order.
