10 Most Popular Illinoisan Foods
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Loading... - Martisse Bertin
- 12 Apr 2022
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Shrimp DeJonghe
The garlic and sherry flavored shrimp DeJonghe is a casserole dish made with whole peeled shrimps blanketed in herbed breadcrumbs which are broiled until golden brown. This dish is often said to be the oldest specialty of Chicagoan cuisine, having been created in the 1920s at DeJonghe's hotel and restaurant on Chicago's Monroe Street.
The recipe has been attributed either to the owners, Belgian immigrants Henri, Pierre, and Charles DeJonghe, or to their chef, Emil Zehr. Today, shrimp DeJonghe can be found at a variety of Chicagoan restaurants, ranging from casual taverns and eateries to seafood spots and even steakhouses.
Sport Peppers
Sport peppers are mild chili peppers that are especially popular in the Southern United States and Chicago. They're a key element of the popular Chicago-style hot dog. The peppers have a Scoville Heat Unit ranging from 10,000 to 23,000 and they're typically pickled in vinegar.
After they've been pickled, these green peppers turn pale green. The flavor is slightly spicy, tangy, and vinegary. Although they are believed to originate in Mexico, the name sport can refer to a variety of pickled peppers from the same family, but their most known usage is in Chicago and the American South.
Chicken Vesuvio
Named after the Mount Vesuvius volcano near Naples, chicken Vesuvio is a specialty of Chicago's Italian-American restaurants. The dish is made with chicken on the bone, potato wedges, celery, and carrots; altogether sautéed with lots of garlic, oregano, white wine, and olive oil, and finally baked until crisp.
In Chicago, this cooking technique is sometimes applied to other foods as well, like steak Vesuvio, pork chops Vesuvio, or even just Vesuvio potatoes. Although the origins of this Italian-American classic remain unknown, some speculate that chicken Vesuvio got its name after the fact that adding wine to the oil causes the dish to smoke like a volcano, while others suggest that it might have been popularized by the Vesuvio restaurant, which operated in Chicago in the 1930s. Read More...
