Maxwell Street Polish
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A Maxwell Street Polish consists of a grilled or fried sausage topped with grilled onions and yellow mustard and optional sport peppers, on a bun. The sausage, a cross between Polish kielbasa and a natural-casing hot dog, is typically spicier than either and usually made from beef and pork.[1] The meal traces its origins to Chicago's Maxwell Street market, and has been called "[one of] the classic foods synonymous with Chicago".[2]
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[edit] History
The sandwich is widely said to have been created by Jimmy Stefanovic, a Macedonian immigrant,[3] who took over his aunt and uncle's hot dog stand (now Jim's Original) in Chicago's Maxwell Street marketplace in 1939.[4] The Maxwell Street Polish soon grew to be one of Chicago's most popular local sandwiches, along with the Chicago hot-dog and Italian beef.
It is served by restaurants around the city, including chains such as Portillo's[5] and Brown's Chicken,[6] and is common at sporting events. Many small vendors specialize in the Maxwell Street Polish along with the pork-chop sandwich. (Both items were popularized in the Maxwell Street market.)[7]
Due to the University of Illinois Chicago's South Campus development, the two most famous Maxwell Street Polish stands, Jim's Original and Maxwell St. Express Grill, both of which coexisted side by side for decades at Halsted and Maxwell streets, have now relocated a half block east to Union Avenue, adjacent to the Dan Ryan Expressway on-ramp at Roosevelt Road.[8]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Zeldes, Leah A. (2008-10-22), "Help for the kielbasa conundrum", Chicago Sun-Times, http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/food/1234642,FOO-News-polish22a.article
- ^ Clark, Sandy Thorne. (2006-6-26), "Getting a taste of Chicago: City's signature flavors have tourists and locals lining up for more, more, more", Chicago Sun-Times, S1.
- ^ Zeldes, Leah A. (2008-10-22), "'Tis the seasonings: How do local Polish butchers elevate sausage to an art form? With generous use of spices and more", Chicago Sun-Times, http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/1234644,FOO-News-polish22.article
- ^ "Jim's Original website". http://www.jimsoriginal.com. Retrieved 2008-10-27.
- ^ "5 places to..." (2008-01-18). SouthtownStar, T04.
- ^ Knowles, Francine (2004-07-2). "Brown's Beefs Up", Chicago Sun-Times, 53.
- ^ Eng, Monica and Charles Leroux. (2004-10-01), "The original Maxwell Street Market", Chicago Tribune, Friday, 1.
- ^ Fuller, Janet Rausa (2005-09-19), "Rival Polish sausage stands are heading home; New locations near UIC designed to emit less onion odor", Chicago Sun-Times, 6.
