Cincinnati 5-Way
The Greek Meat Sauce That Took Over Ohio
If you ask a Texan whether Cincinnati chili is really chili, you'll get a hard no. Ask a Cincinnatian, and they'll tell you they don't care what you call it — just hand them a fork.
The Style
A finely ground beef sauce — thin, not chunky — seasoned with cinnamon, allspice, clove, nutmeg, cumin, and chili powder, ladled over spaghetti and topped with a mountain of shredded cheddar.
The ways are the ordering system:
- 2-way — spaghetti + chili
- 3-way — + cheese
- 4-way — + onions or beans
- 5-way — everything
The History
In 1922, Macedonian-Greek brothers Tom and John Kiradjieff opened a hot dog stand next to the Empress Burlesque theater in downtown Cincinnati. They topped coneys with a spiced Mediterranean meat sauce based on saltsa kima — and then, probably at a German customer's request in the 1930s, started serving it over spaghetti with a mound of cheese.
The chain of succession from that one stand is remarkable: Empress Chili (1922), Skyline Chili (1949), Gold Star Chili (1965). There are still more than 250 chili parlors in greater Cincinnati.