CHICAGO — A new bestselling book shares the stories behind some of the most beloved Chicago food — and one notorious drink.
Co-authors Monica Eng and David Hammond are journalists who’ve reported on deliciousness for decades. Their debut book, “Made in Chicago: Stories Behind 30 Great Hometown Bites,” digs even deeper.
Full disclosure: Eng was a Tribune journalist for 16 years, and we co-host the “Chewing” podcast together. Hammond has written for the Chicago Tribune, and we’ve known each other for many years from the Chicago food website LTH Forum. I also blurbed their book, which you can find on the back cover of the slim paperback filled with color photos.
“It’s a user’s guide for Chicago eaters,” said Eng, a reporter for Axios who previously worked for WBEZ. “Basically something you can put in your backpack or glove compartment or bike satchel, and ride all over Chicago to find out the best way to enjoy it through vernacular foods and the great stories behind them.”
University of Illinois Press imprint 3 Fields Books published “Made in Chicago,” released March 21. The book is now ranked No. 1 New Release in Travel/Dining Reference and History of Midwestern U.S. on Amazon.
“It’s also a historical document and snapshot of what people are eating at street level in Chicago in 2023,” said Hammond, dining and drinking editor at Newcity. “These foods might not be here in 10 years. They may just pop up and go away, although some, like Italian beef, have been around for a very long time.”
Each chapter is dedicated to one item, organized alphabetically, so the book begins with the Akutagawa, which is “hamburger meat with chopped onions and green pepper, bean sprouts and scrambled egg, served with a side of rice and gravy,” writes Eng of the dish at Rice’N Bread in Wrigleyville. She traces the origins to Tom Yamauchi, who created the Japanese American- and Hawaii-inspired plate in the late 1960s for his friend George Akutagawa, a regular at the diner formerly known as Hamburger King.
So how did they decide what to include?
“It had to have been something invented here that had enduring cultural power and was served in multiple locations,” Eng said.
What was one of their most memorable destinations while researching the book?
“David and I both really enjoyed going to Home of the Hoagy,” Eng said. “Because it really is an experience to go and order the sweet steak sandwich, then stand there while everybody is waiting so patiently for an hour plus.”
The Philly cheesesteak-inspired sandwich adds a neon green sweet pepper relish, optional hot sport peppers, and the defining sweet sauce, all on a warm steamed bun. The sweet steak, or steak sweet, has largely remained a delicacy within the Black community on the South Side.
“Monica has noticed from the very start the divide between South and North sides,” Hammond said. “A lot of the foods we examined never make it north of the Eisenhower Expressway.
What was a food they discovered while researching the book that they’ve now grown to love?
“Here’s a strange one,” Eng said. “I’ve lived in Chicago all my life and I have to admit I never had a pizza puff. And now I crave a pizza puff every now and then.”
She first revealed the history of the pizza puff, a deep-fried tortilla wrapped around pizza ingredients, as a reporter with “Curious City” at WBEZ, the public radio station in Chicago.
Taffy grapes were a new one for Hammond. The sweet treats also started in the Black community on the South Side but have spread across the city and suburbs.
“They’re simply green seedless grapes, the tops swirled in either white chocolate or frosting or perhaps even cake, and then sprinkled with nuts,” he said. “I really liked them once I tried them. We’ve even made them at home. They’re super easy and kind of give you the illusion of having a healthy snack, because it’s fresh fruit.”
What about recipes in the book?
“David’s got quite a few in there,” Eng said. “Although I have heard from some people saying 14 cups of breadcrumbs might be a lot for 12 shrimp.”
Shrimp DeJonghe is the old-school dish that bakes the crustaceans with garlic, butter and, yes, lots of breadcrumbs.
“It’s the original recipe,” Hammond said.
“There are many little interesting byways that we uncovered,” he added. “One that continues to amaze me is Malört. People always want to hear about it. I think it’s because it has a reputation for being repugnant. And yet it’s beloved, or at least, enjoyed.”
Malört is the bitter booze we love to hate that tastes of grapefruit and gasoline, which can arguably be quite delightful in cocktails.
CH Distillery now makes Malört in the East Pilsen neighborhood, bringing production back from Florida after 30 years. Owner and head distiller Tremaine Atkinson shared his insight with Hammond for “Made in Chicago.”
The distiller shared that people always talk about how awful and terrible Malört is, Hammond said. But when they’re talking about experiences with it, there’s always some joy in their voice.
It might be kind of a prankster’s joy, he noted, as in tricking someone into taking their first shot, then posting a photo on Instagram with the hashtag #malortface.
“But still, it’s entertaining, and it’s ours,” the co-author said. “And I think that’s important.”
$19.95, University of Illinois Press, press.uillinois.edu
More notable new food books and cookbooks by Chicago-area authors, listed in alphabetical order by title:
“Fieldwork: A Forager’s Memoir”
A new memoir from Iliana Regan zeros in on foraging in ways both big and small — spanning from her European ancestry to her Indiana childhood to her current work running a boutique culinary-focused getaway in the Upper Peninsula. Regan founded the Michelin-starred restaurant Elizabeth in Lincoln Square, but left to open the off-the-grid glamping destination Milkweed Inn with her wife, Anna Regan. The book also delves into Regan’s gender identity and how it informs her work.
$27, Agate Publishing, agatepublishing.com
“Instant Pot Indian: 70 Easy, Full-Flavor, Authentic Recipes for Any Sized Instant Pot”
Chicago-based food writer Anupy Singla isn’t the first to explore how the convenience of an Instant Pot lends itself to the deep flavors of Indian cuisine. But her latest cookbook, which comes out April 25, adapts its recipes for all sizes of Instant Pots, “to ensure that home cooks would get the full, delicious flavor in every recipe, every time,” according to publisher Agate Surrey. Singla is a former journalist turned food writer, and founder of Indian As Apple Pie, a website equipped with everything from recipes to her line of sauces and spices.
$21.95, Agate Surrey, agatepublishing.com
“Justice of the Pies: Sweet and Savory Pies, Quiches and Tarts Plus Inspirational Stories from Exceptional People: A Baking Book”
Maya-Camille Broussard launched her Chicago bakery, Justice of the Pies, in honor of her sweet-toothed father, a criminal defense attorney. After her socially minded bakery — based in The Hatchery — gained acclaim for delectable renditions such as her salted caramel peach pie and the Fig + Pig Quiche, the James Beard-nominated baker has gone on to star in two seasons of Netflix’s “Bake Squad” reality show. In her debut book, released in October, Broussard shares more than 85 recipes for her best sweet and savory pies, which can also be found at the Daley Plaza farmers market in season. “Maya-Camille also tells the stories of heroes outside the kitchen: luminaries who strive for social justice and equity, and shares recipes they’ve inspired,” writes publisher Clarkson Potter.
$30, Clarkson Potter, penguinrandomhouse.com
“Midwest Pie: Recipes that Shaped a Region”
Longtime bakers are likely familiar with the days when faded notecards and county fair cookbooks were the bodies of record for cherished family recipes. “Midwest Pie” immortalizes those time-tested recipes, while also exploring the origins of the bean pie, the popularity of “desperation pies” during the Great Depression, the humble origins of the Upper Peninsula’s pasties and more. Fire up the oven and get the mixer ready before the book, edited by Meredith Pangrace, is released May 23.
$18.95, Belt Publishing, beltpublishing.com
“Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit”
A follow-up to Abra Berens’ “Ruffage” and “Grist” books focusing on vegetables and grain, this fruit-forward book features 215 recipes and variations for incorporating fruit into recipes both sweet and savory. Out April 4, the book examines how seasonality plays a part in how fruit can be a perfectly sweet accompaniment to vegetables, soup, roasted pork and more. Berens, a James Beard Best Chef: Great Lakes Award semifinalist for Granor Farm in Three Oaks, Michigan, last cooked in Chicago at the dearly departed Stock Cafe at Local Foods market.
$35, Chronicle Books, chroniclebooks.com
