Made in Chicago

Jam packed with interesting stories and colorful characters that will make each bite just a little more enticing. --Better Chicago has invented, transformed, and promoted dozens of foods that give the city its distinct and inimitable gastronomy. Veteran Chicago journalists Eng and Hammond teamed up to delve into 30 of those unique Chicago eats to discover their origins and their status as icons of American cuisine. --Booklist A taxonomic guidebook to the city's lesser-known endemic eats. With obligatory chapters on familiar signatures like hot dogs and deep dish, its real value lies in the stories behind less celebrated working-class originals like the Japanese-American rice and gravy burger plate akutagawa; sweet sticky Chinese-Korean gampongi lollipop wings; and the city's other beef on a bun: the sweet steak sandwich. --Chicago Reader Eng and Hammond are two of Chicago's most respected (and voracious) food reporters, so it's no surprise to see how they've covered the city's iconic foods like a layer of mozzarella on a deep-dish pie. This is the most thorough, gumshoe, deep-dive reporting into the origins of not only the well-known dishes (Italian beef, pizza, and hot dogs) but also the lesser-known gems in specific neighborhoods, like the Big Baby and the Gym Shoe. I clearly need to get out more, because how have I lived in Chicago for thirty years and never had Taffy Grapes?! This is a must-read for any local who wants to understand what it means to 'eat like a Chicagoan,' but it's also a fascinating history lesson about how waves of immigration have shaped our local diet over the years. --Steve Dolinsky, 13-time winner of the James Beard Award and food reporter for NBC 5 Chicago Made in Chicago proves that Chicago is one of the world's greatest vernacular food cities. Created mainly by ethnic food vendors--from pushcarts to diners and small food companies--these dishes show the city in all its quotidian culinary glory. --Bruce Kraig Few are better qualified to write about Chicago food (and one notorious drink) than Monica Eng and David Hammond. They are journalists who have reported on deliciousness for decades, and shared the heartfelt human stories behind the scenes. Made in Chicago digs even deeper. It's an essential guide with details that will surprise even the most dedicated experts of local culture and cuisine. --Louisa Chu, Chicago Tribune food critic and cohost of Chewing