Chicago

Chicago’s very existence is due to foodstuffs, the name of the place where it stands descending from an edible plant, a wild garlic called “checagou” in a Native American language. Within twenty years of its official incorporation in 1833, it became one of America’s central food cities as the collection and transshipment center for the Midwest’s agricultural wealth. The city grew to become the heart of America’s new food production and processing industries. Within fifty years it was the world’s greatest grain shipper and meat production center. With industry came immigrants who brought their cuisines with them, making Chicago a great ethnic food city. Chicago gives its name to famous foods that descend from ethnic roots, including pizza, Italian beef, and hot dogs. With money came refinement: the arts and the art of dining in famed restaurants, and today the city’s celebrity chefs have achieved national and worldwide fame.