OHIO - When outsiders think of Ohio cuisine, they usually picture sweet corn, glossy buckeye candies, or maybe a harmlessly greasy burger. But if you dig into the Buckeye State deep-rooted immigrant history and rural traditions, you will find a menu that calls for a bit of adventurous spirit.
To locals, these dishes are the ultimate comfort foods, fiercely defended and eaten with deep nostalgia. To the uninitiated tourist, they look incredibly weird, entirely counterintuitive, and sometimes visually horrifying.
Here is a breakdown of the most wonderfully weird and outwardly disgusting things you can eat in Ohio.
1. Cincinnati Chili (The "Five-Way" Slurry)
Cincinnati chili is the most polarizing regional dish in America. Created in the 1920s by Macedonian immigrants, it is not the thick, tomato-and-bean-heavy Texas chili that most of the country expects. Instead, it is a thin, watery meat sauce heavily spiced with cinnamon, cloves, allspice, and cocoa powder.
- Why outsiders hate it: Visually, it looks like a disaster. The classic "Five-Way" involves ladling this sweet, runny brown slurry over wet spaghetti noodles, adding a layer of diced onions and kidney beans, and then burying the entire plate under a towering, neon-orange mountain of finely shredded, unmelted cheddar cheese.
- Why locals love it: When you grow up with it, the balance of the warm, aromatic Mediterranean spices with the salty, sharp cheese and hearty carbs is absolute perfection. Skyline and Gold Star chili parlors command a religious following in Southwest Ohio.
2. The Shredded Chicken Sandwich
Travel into Central and Northwest Ohio, and you will find this beige concoction at every Church potluck, high school concession stand, and local diner. To make it, cooks take shredded chicken and slow-cook it with a massive amount of cream of chicken soup and crushed buttery crackers (like Ritz) or breadcrumbs until it turns into a thick, homogenous paste.
- Why outsiders hate it: It looks exactly like baby food or beige wallpaper paste scooped onto a hamburger bun. There is zero crunch, very little texture, and virtually non-existent visual appeal.
- Why locals love it: It is the ultimate salty, savory, stick-to-your-ribs comfort food. The crackers soak up all the rich chicken fat and soup, creating a savory filling that is pure Midwestern coziness in a bun.
3. Goetta (The Grainy Gray Brick)
Much like Maryland and Delaware have scrapple, Southwest Ohio has goetta (pronounced get-uh). Born from German immigrants trying to stretch their meat rations in the 19th century, goetta is a mixture of ground pork, beef, onions, spices, and a heavy dose of steel-cut pinhead oats.
- Why outsiders hate it: In its raw, uncooked form, it looks like a dense, wet, grey block of cement speckled with oats.
- Why locals love it: When you slice it thick and fry it in a cast-iron skillet, the oats crisp up beautifully while the inside stays rich, fatty, and tender. It is a breakfast staple in the Cincinnati area, usually served alongside eggs or stacked into a morning sandwich.
4. Ohio Valley-Style Pizza
If you order a Pizza in the Ohio Valley (stretching near the West Virginia border around Steubenville), you are going to get a square-cut pie that completely defies the universal laws of Pizza making. The crust is baked in a square pan with a sweet tomato sauce. Then, after it comes out of the oven, cold, unmelted shredded cheese and cold toppings are thrown directly on top.
- Why outsiders hate it: It looks unfinished. Biting into a Pizza and getting a mouthful of cold, raw cheese and cold pepperoni on a hot crust feels like a terrible kitchen mistake.
- Why locals love it: The cheese directly touching the hot sauce melts just slightly at the bottom, while the top layer remains cool and fresh. The temperature contrast and the crispness of the unbaked toppings create a unique textural experience that locals defend fiercely.
5. Sauerkraut Balls
A culinary staple of the Akron area, sauerkraut balls are exactly what they sound like. Invented in the mid-20th century, cooks take sharp, fermented sauerkraut, mix it with cream cheese and ground pork or ham, roll it into a sphere, bread it, and deep-fry it.
- Why outsiders hate it: Biting into a hot, deep-fried ball only to be hit with the pungent, sour smell of hot fermented cabbage and a grey, mushy meat center is a jarring experience if you are expecting a standard cheese stick or arancini.
- Why locals love it: The crunch of the breading gives way to an incredibly tangy, rich, and savory center. Dipped in a little mustard, they are the perfect bar snack and a delicious nod to the region's strong Eastern European roots.
