The cuisine of the American Midwest draws its culinary roots most significantly from the cuisines of Central, Northern and Eastern Europe, and Indigenous cuisine of the Americas, and is influenced by regionally and locally grown foodstuffs and cultural diversity.
Chili con carne, meaning "chili with meat", is a spicy stew containing chili peppers, meat, tomatoes, and often pinto beans or kidney beans. Other seasonings may include garlic, onions, and cumin. The dish originated in northern Mexico.
Cheese fries or cheesy chips is a dish consisting of French fries covered in cheese, with the possible addition of various other toppings. Cheese fries are generally served as a lunch or dinner dish. They can be found in fast-food locations, diners, and grills mainly in English speaking countries.
Cincinnati chili is a Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce used as a topping for spaghetti or hot dogs ("coneys"); both dishes were developed by immigrant restaurateurs in the 1920s. Its name evokes comparison to chili con carne, but the two are dissimilar in consistency, flavor, and serving method; Cincinnati chili more closely resembles Greek pasta sauces and spiced-meat hot dog topping sauces seen in other parts of the United States.
A Coney Island is a type of restaurant that is popular in the northern United States, particularly in Michigan, named after the Coney Island hot dog.
A Coney Island hot dog, Coney dog, or Coney is a hot dog in a bun topped with a savory meat sauce and sometimes other toppings. It is often offered as part of a menu of classic American diner dishes and often at Coney Island restaurants. It is largely a phenomenon related to immigration from Greece and the region of Macedonia to the United States in the early 20th century.
Different areas of the world have local variations on the hot dog, in the type of meat used, the condiments added, and its means of preparation.
Zantigo is an American fast food restaurant chain serving Mexican food. It began operation in 1969 in Minneapolis, Minnesota as Zapata. With over 80 locations at its peak, Zantigo, alongside its sister/parent company Kentucky Fried Chicken, was sold to PepsiCo, with the former getting merged into Taco Bell in 1986. Zantigo was re-established a decade later under new ownership in the Twin Cities market.
Dixie Chili and Deli, originally Dixie Chili, is a chain of three Cincinnati chili restaurants located in the Northern Kentucky area of Greater Cincinnati. Dixie Chili is famous for their chili, coneys, and sandwiches. Greek immigrant Nicholas Sarakatsannis founded the first location in 1929 in Newport, Kentucky, just across the Ohio River from the city of Cincinnati. Today the company also has locations in Erlanger and Covington, additionally distributing a canned version of their chili product in supermarkets in the Cincinnati and Kentucky area, as well as in some Kroger stores in the Dayton, Ohio area.
Frisch's Big Boy is a regional Big Boy restaurant chain with headquarters in Cincinnati, Ohio. For many years a Big Boy franchisee, in 2001, Frisch's became the exclusive owner of the Big Boy trademark in Indiana, Kentucky, and most of Ohio and Tennessee, and is no longer affiliated with Big Boy Restaurant Group. In July 2022, there were 84 restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. This included 11 Big Boy stores in Cincinnati, 6 in Dayton, Ohio, and 3 in Louisville, Kentucky. Frisch's is the oldest, longest surviving, and largest regional Big Boy operator, excluding Bob's Big Boy in California, which was the original Big Boy restaurant and franchiser. As of April 2024, the company operates 87 locations in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio. The last new Frisch's opened in Dry Ridge Kentucky in 2019, therefore 8 stores reopening from COVID-19 around 2022-2023. Many stores closed afterwards, likely due to rising supply chain costs and restaurant demand changes, as well as shifting customer demand away from "diner" restaurants.
Gold Star Chili is a restaurant chain based in Cincinnati, Ohio, that sells Cincinnati chili. The original restaurant was established in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Mt. Washington in 1965 by four Daoud brothers, immigrants from Jordan. Gold Star Chili was the "Official Chili" of the Cincinnati Bengals until April 19, 2023.
This is relating to the culture of Cincinnati, Ohio.
Mighty Casey's was a fast food restaurant that started in Atlanta, Georgia in 1980. It was popular in the Atlanta metropolitan area for serving quality fast-food, generous helpings, and creative menu offerings. It was bought out by Krystal in 1994 and most of the restaurants were converted into Krystals.
Nicholas Lambrinides (1879–1962) was a Greek-American entrepreneur who built the Skyline Chili chain of chili restaurants based in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Greek-American cuisine is the cuisine of Greek Americans and their descendants, who have modified Greek cuisine under the influence of American culture and immigration patterns of Greeks to the United States. As immigrants from various Greek areas settled in different regions of the United States and became "Greek Americans," they carried with them different traditions of foods and recipes that were particularly identified with their regional origins in Greece and yet infused with the characteristics of their new home locale in America. Many of these foods and recipes developed into new favorites for town peoples and then later for Americans nationwide. Greek-American cuisine is especially prominent in areas of concentrated Greek communities, such as Astoria, Queens and Tarpon Springs, Florida.
National Coney Island is a Coney Island-style restaurant based in Michigan that specializes in Greek-American cuisine. It is a corporation that has more than 20 National Coney Island locations in the Metro Detroit area.
Chili mac is a dish prepared using chili con carne and macaroni as primary ingredients, which is often topped or intermingled with cheese. Some versions are made using prepared or homemade macaroni and cheese. It is a common dish in the cuisine of the Midwestern United States, and is also popular in other areas of the United States.
