I’ve also never seen any recipes with added sugar and would not describe the sauce as sweet. And it’s a Greek recipe. It’s called Cincinnati Chili because that’s where it became famous in the US.
If you’ve ever had a coney dog, then you’ve likely had the chili.
Somewhat fun fact: Coney dogs were invented by multiple different people at the same time. The likely first restaurant to have it was Coney Island in Fort Wayne, but no one can say for certain since multiple restaurants opened in 1914 selling them with slightly different recipes.
The sauce used was rather common in the Macedonian region. The US had a large influx of Greek immigrants in the early 1900s and many discovered it tasted great when added to American hot dogs.
A friend of mine makes some pretty accurate tasting imitation-skyline chili, and she definitely adds sugar. Never tried to make it myself (I think Cincinnati style “chilli” is aggressively OK)
It’s definitely pretty sweet and thin. I think it’s technically a Bolognese?
Cincinnati native here: a pinch of brown sugar and cocoa powder are both extremely common ingredients in local chili. That wouldn’t necessarily make it sweet though; we’re talking a teaspoon for a big pot. It’s just to give a light caramelized flavor and cut the acidity of the tomato.
I’ve also never seen any recipes with added sugar and would not describe the sauce as sweet. And it’s a Greek recipe. It’s called Cincinnati Chili because that’s where it became famous in the US.
If you’ve ever had a coney dog, then you’ve likely had the chili.
Somewhat fun fact: Coney dogs were invented by multiple different people at the same time. The likely first restaurant to have it was Coney Island in Fort Wayne, but no one can say for certain since multiple restaurants opened in 1914 selling them with slightly different recipes.
The sauce used was rather common in the Macedonian region. The US had a large influx of Greek immigrants in the early 1900s and many discovered it tasted great when added to American hot dogs.
A friend of mine makes some pretty accurate tasting imitation-skyline chili, and she definitely adds sugar. Never tried to make it myself (I think Cincinnati style “chilli” is aggressively OK)
It’s definitely pretty sweet and thin. I think it’s technically a Bolognese?
Cincinnati native here: a pinch of brown sugar and cocoa powder are both extremely common ingredients in local chili. That wouldn’t necessarily make it sweet though; we’re talking a teaspoon for a big pot. It’s just to give a light caramelized flavor and cut the acidity of the tomato.
Cinnamon too.
True! Forgot about that one.