It is not actually chili, despite what the name suggests

Cultures · Published 1 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: To the uninitiated, the thin, Mediterranean-spiced meat sauce found in Cincinnati can be a shock. It lacks the thick, hearty texture of chili con carne, behaving more like a spiced Bolognese. Yet, this controversial dish remains a beloved regional staple, deeply rooted in the immigrant history of the American Midwest.

The origins of Cincinnati chili date back to 1922, when brothers Tom and John Kiradjiv, immigrants from the village of Hrupishta, opened the Empress restaurant. Seeking to appeal to a broader audience beyond their Greek and Macedonian roots, they adapted traditional Mediterranean flavors—including warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg—into a meat sauce designed to top spaghetti and hot dogs, known locally as 'coneys'.

The dish is famous for its 'way' ordering system, which dictates the number of toppings added to the base of spaghetti and meat sauce. A 'two-way' is simply the sauce over pasta, while a 'three-way' adds shredded cheddar cheese. As the complexity increases, a 'four-way' might include onions or beans, and a 'five-way' incorporates both. While some modern chains like Skyline and Gold Star use 'four-way' to denote a choice between onions or beans, others, like Dixie Chili, offer a 'six-way' featuring garlic.

Despite its name, the dish is often misunderstood. A persistent myth suggests the presence of chocolate, but culinary historians and local experts have confirmed that no authentic Cincinnati chili parlor uses chocolate in their recipe. While critics have disparaged its watery consistency, the industry is massive, with annual consumption estimated at over 2,000,000 pounds of chili and 850,000 pounds of cheese, contributing to a regional industry that saw revenues of $250 million in 2014.

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