Mmmm, Cincinnati Chili

I love Cincinnati Chili. [Link]

Althouse, could you post a photo of a steaming hot bowl of chili from Skyline or Red Star? Having a good sensory memory, I'll be able to smell it through the computer screen.

I first remember trying it with my Dad after we got some spice packets from some people we met on a Sea Escape day cruise who were from Cincinnati.

Cincinnati chili sauce contains finely ground beef, seasoned with a mixture of spices. Vegetarians have the option of substituting beans and rice for meat. Some aficionados report a distinct hint of cinnamon and sometimes even chocolate. However, the precise identity of other spices is hard to determine. The flavor of Cincinnati chili is distinct from that of the more widely recognized Texas-style chili, and differs from that variety too in its thin consistency, which makes it more suitable as a sauce for other dishes than as a dish by itself. This distinctiveness makes the chili a greatly missed delicacy among many former Cincinnati-area residents.

When served over spaghetti, the chili is typically topped by a large mound of shredded mild cheddar cheese (as much as will fit on top without it falling over the sides). Because of the large amount of cheese piled on top, the first few bites often consist entirely of cheese, at least for inexperienced diners. The serving method is based on (and is ordered in restaurants by) a traditional code. A "one-way" would be a bowl of chili only, but it is almost never ordered this way. A "two-way" is spaghetti topped with chili only. More typically, the chili is ordered as a "three-way" (pasta, sauce, and cheese only), "four-way" (with added red kidney beans or chopped raw white onions), or "five-way" (with added beans and onions). "Inverted" is the request to place the cheese under the chili so it melts.^{[citation needed]} "Wet" is the request for extra chili over the spaghetti.