Cincinnati chili has a unique texture, spice, and presentation, with a history rooted in Greek immigrants. It is often boiled and includes secret spices like cinnamon and chocolate. Presentation includes spaghetti noodles with chili, cheese, onions, and beans. Tom Kiradjieff and Nicholas Lambrinides played important roles in its development, with Skyline Chili becoming a popular chain. Cincinnati is known as the “Chili Capital of the United States.”
Cincinnati chili is unique for several reasons: subtle texture, spice, and methods of preparation and presentation. The history of Cincinnati chili involves European immigrants who brought the Greek style of cooking to the area in the early 1900s. Over the years, it has achieved a cult-like following of people who love the Cincinnati style of chili in Mom and Pop style restaurants, as well as chain chili chains including Skyline, Gold Star, Dixie Chili, and others.
The thinner texture of the Cincinnati pepper is actually the result of the preparation process. Instead of browning the meat, it is often boiled, which results in a softer texture. Some recipes mention processing the meat in a food processor before cooking. Unusual spices are often kept secret, but some often cited include cinnamon, chocolate, Worcestershire sauce, allspice, bay leaves, cloves, and others.
Presentation is perhaps the most unique trait of the Cincinnati chili. The simplest dish consists of spaghetti noodles seasoned with chilli and is referred to as a 2 way. A 3-way is chili peppers topped with grated cheese and placed on top of spaghetti noodles. A 4-way adds chopped onions to the mix and a 5-way includes red beans.
In the history of Cincinnati chili, two names often arise: Tom Kiradjieff and Nicholas Lambrinides. Kiradjieff, an immigrant from Macedonia, opened a small Greek restaurant with his brother John in Cincinnati in 1922. At the time, many of the immigrants to the area were German and unaccustomed to Greek food. As a means of attracting more business, the brothers decided to serve a plate of spaghetti using Middle Eastern spices.
Kiradjieff called the dish “spaghetti chili” and served it in many ways, including with hot dogs. The five-of-him way was spaghetti, chili, onion, beans, and cheese, served with a side of hot dogs, additional cheese, and oyster crackers.
After emigrating to the United States in 1912, Lambrinides first worked for the Empress Chili Company before opening his own Greek restaurant in 1949 in Cincinnati, overlooking the city skyline. They prepared dishes using Greek recipes passed down through their family. This business developed into the Skyline Chili restaurant chain and also the sale of canned Skyline chili in grocery stores.
While this particular style of chili is most popular in the Cincinnati metropolitan area, which includes parts of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana, Cincinnati chili is now available in other regions of the United States. Commonly known as the “Chili Capital of the United States,” Cincinnati is said to have more chili parlors per capita and square mileage than any other city in the United States.
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