The culture of Chicago, Illinois is known for the invention or significant advancement of several performing arts, including improvisational comedy, house music, industrial music, blues, hip hop, gospel, jazz"Research Resources on Chicago, Jazz, and the Great Migration" , University of Chicago Library. Retrieved February 22, 2015. and soul."Chicago Soul" , AllMusic. Retrieved February 22, 2015.
The city is known for its Chicago School and Prairie School architecture. It continues to cultivate a strong tradition of classical music, popular music, dance, and performing arts, rooted in Western civilization, as well as other traditions carried forward by its African-American, Asian-American, European American and Hispanic and Latino American citizens.
The city is additionally known for various popular culinary dishes, including deep-dish pizza, the Chicago-style hot dog and the Italian beef sandwich.
Food and drink
Chicago lays claim to a large number of regional specialties that reflect the city's ethnic and working-class roots. Among these are its nationally renowned deep-dish pizza; this style is said to have originated at Pizzeria Uno. The Chicago-style thin crust is also popular in the city. A number of well-known chefs have had restaurants in Chicago, including Charlie Trotter, Rick Tramonto, Grant Achatz, and Rick Bayless.
In 2003, Robb Report named Chicago the country's "most exceptional dining destination" and in 2008, Maxim awarded Chicago the title of "Tastiest City."
Local specialties
The most popular Chicago-style foods are: The Chicago-style hot dog, traditionally a steamed or boiled, natural-casing all-beef wiener on a poppy-seed bun, topped with yellow mustard, chopped onion, sliced tomato, neon-green sweet-pickle relish, sport peppers, a dill pickle spear, and a sprinkling of celery salt—but never ketchup.Zeldes, Leah A. (July 7, 2010). "Eat this! The Chicago Hot Dog, Born in the Great Depression" , Dining Chicago. Retrieved October 29, 2015.Zeldes, Leah A. (July 22, 2010). "Do Only Barbarians Put Ketchup on Hot Dogs?", Dining Chicago. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2015. The Italian beef, a sandwich featuring thinly sliced roast beef simmered in a broth (known locally as "gravy") containing Italian-style seasonings and served on an Italian roll soaked in the meat juices. Most beef stands offer a "cheesy beef" option, which is typically the addition of a slice of provolone or mozzarella. A "combo" is a beef sandwich with the addition of grilled Italian sausage. Italian beef sandwiches are traditionally topped with sweet peppers or spicy giardiniera.Pang, Kevin (December 6, 2015). "Hunting the Best Italian Beef in Chicago" , Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 1, 2015.Dolinsky Steve (March 10, 2015). "The 31 Essential Italian Beef Joints in Chicago(land)" , SteveDolinsky.com. Retrieved November 1, 2015. Deep-dish pizza has a tall outer crust and large amounts of cheese, with chunky tomato sauce on top of the cheese instead of underneath it. It is strongly associated with Chicago, and is sometimes referred to as "Chicago-style pizza"."Who Invented Deep Dish", Chicago Tribune, February 18, 2009. Retrieved November 1, 2015.Kindelsperger, Nick (June 2, 2014). "The Best Deep Dish Pizza in Chicago" , Serious Eats. Retrieved October 29, 2015. Similar to this is stuffed pizza, with even more cheese, topped with a second, thinner crust.Ali, Tanveer; Ludwig, Howard (January 13, 2015). "A Guide to Chicago Pizza: From Deep-Dish to Tavern-Style and Beyond" , DNAinfo. Retrieved November 1, 2015. Tavern-style pizza is also popular in Chicago. This is a type of thin-crust pizza that has a very thin, crispy crust and is cut into squares instead of wedges. Nationally the most popular pizza topping is pepperoni, but in Chicago sausage is the most popular topping.
Other Chicago-style dishes include: A francheezie is a variation of the Chicago-style hot dog. The hot dog is wrapped in bacon and deep-fried, and either stuffed or topped with cheese.Brusin, Josh (September 15, 2005). "Francheezie... Cambridge House – RIP" , Chicago Foodies. Retrieved November 12, 2015. Maxwell Street Polish, named after Maxwell Street where it was first sold. It is a Polish sausage made with beef and pork, and with garlic and other spices, served on a bun with grilled onions.Eng, Monica; Leroux, Charles (October 1, 2004). "The Original Maxwell Street Market", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 24, 2016.Zeldes, Leah A. (October 22, 2008). "Help for the Kielbasa Conundrum", Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved November 1, 2015. The jibarito is a specialty sandwich that originated in the heart of Chicago's Puerto Rican community. Invented by Borinquen Restaurant in the Humboldt Park neighborhood, a jibarito is made with meat or chicken, and condiments, placed between two pieces of fried and flattened plantain instead of bread.Eng, Monica (June 18, 2003). "Saga of a Sandwich", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 24, 2016. Chicken Vesuvio, an Italian-American dish made from chicken on the bone and wedges of potato, celery, and carrots; sauteed with garlic, oregano, white wine, and olive oil, then baked until the chicken's skin becomes crisp.Sarazen, Raeanne S. (June 13, 2001). "Would Appreciate It If You Would Send Me a Recipe For..." , Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 1, 2015.Royer, Blake (December 15, 2011). "Dinner Tonight: Chicken Vesuvio" , Serious Eats. Retrieved November 1, 2015. Shrimp DeJonghe, a casserole of whole peeled shrimp blanketed in soft, garlicky, sherry-laced bread crumbs.Camp, Paul A.; Brownson, JeanMarie (January 27, 1985). "The Heavenly Recipe That Helped Make Henri De Jonghe Immortal", Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 1, 2015.Olvera, Jennifer (February 23, 2013). "Sunday Supper: Garlicky Shrimp de Jonghe" , Serious Eats. Retrieved November 1, 2015. The mother-in-law is a tamale on a hot dog bun, topped with chili. Chicago also has its own unique style of tamale, machine-extruded from cornmeal and wrapped in paper, and typically sold at hot dog stands. Gyros is popular in Chicago. While some restaurants still make their own gyros cones, Chicago is the hometown of mass-produced gyros.Segal, David (July 14, 2009). "The Gyro's History Unfolds" , New York Times. Retrieved January 10, 2016. Flaming saganaki was popularized by restaurants in the Greektown neighborhood. A square piece of kasseri, kefalotyri, or a similar cheese is fried in a small, two-handled pan, topped with a splash of brandy, and served flambé-style, traditionally with a cry of "Opa!" from the waiter.Roy, Joe (February 10, 2012). "TGI Fry-Day: Saganaki at the Parthenon" , Serious Eats. Retrieved May 5, 2016.Johnson, Charles J. (September 8, 2014). "Parthenon Blazes a Trail" , Chicago Tribune. Retrieved May 5, 2016.Procopio, Michael (September 29, 2010). "Saganaki, Unflamed" , Food for the Thoughtless. Retrieved May 5, 2015. A pizza puff is a deep-fried dough pocket filled with cheese, tomato sauce, and other pizza ingredients such as sausage. Indigenous to Chicago, pizza puffs can be found at some hot dog restaurants.Kindelsperger, Nick (December 7, 2017). "Where Did the Pizza Puff Come From? Can It Even Be Considered a Chicago Classic?" Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 12, 2018."Pizza Puff: Your New Favorite Fried Pizza Product" , American Fun Fact of the Day, July 2, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2016.Kuban, Adam (December 15, 2010). "What Is a Pizza Puff"? , Serious Eats. Retrieved January 23, 2015.Pirnia, Garin (February 15, 2015). "15 Foods Invented (or Perfected) in Chicago Besides Deep Dish Pizza" , Mental Floss. Retrieved January 23, 2016. A pepper and egg sandwich combines scrambled eggs and grilled bell peppers, served on French bread. Originally eaten during Lent by Italian immigrants in Chicago, it now can be found in some casual dining restaurants.Ali, Tanveer (February 24, 2015). "Where to Get Pepper and Egg Sandwiches, a Chicago Lent Tradition" , DNAinfo. Retrieved January 24, 2016.Skoch, Rebecca (March 4, 2014). "4 Places for Pepper and Egg Sandwiches in Chicago" , TimeOut Chicago. Retrieved January 24, 2016.Vettel, Phil (February 18, 2015). "Go Meatless with These Pepper and Egg Sandwiches" , Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 24, 2016. The big baby, a style of a double cheeseburger with the cheese in between the hamburger patties, ketchup, mustard, and pickle slices underneath them, and grilled onions on top; said to have originated at Nicky's The Real McCoy in the Gage Park neighborhood. The breaded-steak sandwich, a specialty particularly found in the Bridgeport neighborhood, which consists of a flattened inexpensive cut of beef that has been breaded, fried Milanesa-style and served on an Italian bread roll with marinara sauce, topped with optional mozzarella cheese with a choice of green peppers or giardiniera. The Freddy, a sandwich consisting of an Italian sausage patty topped with green peppers, mozzarella and marinara served on a bun. It is typically found in sandwich shops and pizzerias on the South Side and its adjacent suburbs. Pork chop sandwiches, served bone-in with mustard and grilled onions, are popular on the South Side. The gym shoe (sometimes spelled Jim Shoe or Jim Shoo), a submarine sandwich made with a combination of corned beef, gyros, and either roast beef or Italian beef. Chicago-style barbecue, particularly rib tips and hot links. This is barbecue that has been cooked in an aquarium smoker, a rectangular indoor smoker with glass sides and a large compartment for a wood fire under the grill.Freeman, Sarah (June 15, 2016). "What Is Chicago-Style Barbecue, Anyway?" , Chicago Eater. Retrieved June 15, 2016. Barbecued ribs are also very popular in Chicago. Mild sauce, a condiment made with barbecue sauce, ketchup, and hot sauce, and sometimes other ingredients such as honey or sugar. Mild sauce is used as a topping on fried chicken and other foods, and was popularized at fast food restaurants in Chicago's African-American community including Harold's Chicken Shack, Uncle Remus Saucy Fried Chicken, and Coleman's Barbecue. Giardiniera – spicy, chopped, pickled vegetables in oil – is popular as a condiment in the Chicago area. For example, it is commonly used as a topping on Italian beef sandwiches. Giardienera was brought to the city by immigrants from Sicily, where it is served as a side dish. Chicago-style giardiniera has vegetables that are chopped very finely, and uses oil and not vinegar as a base. Popcorn from Garrett Popcorn Shops, including their "Garrett Mix" flavor that is a combination of cheddar cheese popcorn and caramel popcorn. Atomic cake, featuring banana, yellow, and chocolate cake layers alternating with banana, strawberry, and fudge fillings.Chu, Louisa (June 12, 2013). "Chicago Food and Drink Destinations: The Intangible Cultural Heritage List" , WBEZ. Retrieved November 1, 2015. Chicago Brick ice cream, a Neapolitan-style three-flavor ice-cream with orange sherbet, vanilla, and caramel flavors.
Restaurant scene