If you’re from the Chicago area, then chances are you have a favorite Italian Beef Sandwich spot. The arguments can get heated over who has the best Beef in the city. Are you a fan of Portillo’s? Al’s? Or one of the many other restaurants that serve this regional favorite. Then there is the question of how you get your Italian Beef; with giardiniera, without giardiniera? Dipped in au jus, au jus on the side or completely dry? Almost every Chicago native has a preference for how they take their Italian Beef and where they get it from. I personally prefer my Italian Beef Sandwiches from Al’s Beef, dipped in au jus and topped with giardiniera. But how did this dish come to be? And why is it so popular in Chicago?
Like many popular regional foods that I have showcased, the Italian beef sandwich has humble origins. There are a few stories about how the Italian beef sandwich came to be. One possibility is that it started off as a way to feed all the workers working in the stock yards (meat butchering and packing industry) on the south side of Chicago in the early 1900s. Many of these workers would bring home some of the tougher cuts of beef to eat at home. They would slow roast it, and put it in a sandwich to take to work. Another story claims that it started as a way to feed many people with a small amount of meat. The beef is sliced very thin and folded into the sandwich, making it seem like there is more meat in it than there really is. This was Scala Packing Company’s and Al’s Beef’s way of catering Italian weddings and other large gatherings after World War 1 and during The Great Depression. Either way, the Italian beef sandwich came from hard times and was the product of people’s desire to make the best out of what they had.
You can’t talk about Italian beef sandwiches without also mentioning giardiniera. Chicago-style giardiniera is a blend of different vegetables all pickled together and marinated in olive oil. Traditionally these include: sport peppers, bell peppers, celery, carrots and cauliflower. This comes from Italian giardiniera which usually is more sweet than spicy and includes just bell peppers, celery, carrots, cauliflower and gherkins. This garnish is served with many items in Chicago, but most prominently on Italian beef sandwiches. It helps to give the sandwich a little heat and sweetness to compliment the savory and salty beef and au jus.
Growing up in and around Chicago, Italian beef is something that I have memories of from when I was very young. It seems that every event here is catered with Italian beef. I couldn’t count all of the family gatherings I’ve been to where Italian beef was served. It was just a given that if we needed to cater a party, we’d be serving Italian beef. And my family isn’t even Italian. This is a great example of a food that began as an ethnic food started in America by immigrants and has since transcended to being taken in and accepted by the broader culture where it was introduced. Now, Italian beef is a part of Chicago food culture, right along side deep dish pizza. Have you ever had an Italian beef sandwich? Let me know your favorite spot and how you like to get yours!
The Cultural Chef 