Spicy Giardiniera Is a Busy Cook’s Best-Kept Secret (2024)

Bulls basketball, deep dish pizza, ketchup-less hot dogs, long, bone-chilling winters—Chicago has a way of setting opinions ablaze no matter where you are. But one Windy City specialty that, until the last few years, didn’t venture much beyond Illinois zip codes is a spicy, pickly, oil-packed condiment called giardiniera. You may have come across Italian-style giardiniera (like the version pictured above) as a topping at sandwich shops or as an antipasto at Italian restaurants in cities across the US, but true Chicago-style giardiniera is in a league of its own. Unlike the classic Italian variety which consists of large chunks of vegetables in a vinegar brine, the Chicago variation starts with a base of spicy hot peppers and chopped vegetables, all of which are first pickled then marinated and packed in oil.

I fell in love with this style of giardiniera about seven years ago, during my time living in Chicago where it’s put on pretty much everything. You’ll find it onhot dogs,pizza, andsalads, but most notably, (as seen onThe Bear) onItalian beef sandwiches. And since my departure from the Midwest, I’ve become somewhat of a walking, talking (and now writing) billboard for Windy City’s beloved condiment. For me, a jar of giardiniera is more than just an accessory. It’s a culmination of many essential elements of cooking, like oil, vinegar, heat, and the textural delight of produce. And it’s the sneakiest way to take your pasta sauce, tuna salad, and aioli to new heights.

How did giardiniera get to Chicago in the first place?

At its most basic, giardiniera is an Italian method of pickling an assortment of vegetables in a vinegar brine. This tradition made its way to Chicago in the mid-to-late 19th century with a surge of Italian immigrants to the area, many of whom hailed from the island of Sicily. Unlike the rest of Italy, where giardiniera brine involves only vinegar, the Sicilian version brings oil into the mix, which influenced what we know today as Chicago-style giardiniera. “My great grandfather Vincent Formusa packed and sold gourmet pickled vegetables this way since the early 20th century,” explains Jeff Johnson, president of V. Formusa Co., Inc, the parent company of Marconi giardiniera, “so it’s been a part of Chicago as early as then.”

Today, you can getMarconi’s Chicago-style giardiniera in a mild version all the way up to spicy hot. And they’ve been the sole supplier of giardiniera for Chicago’s acclaimed Italian beef joint, Portillo’s, since 1971. But Marconi’s isn’t the only company catering to the Windy City’s long-standing love affair with this briny condiment. Other well-known brands includeJ.P. Graziano andMezzetta which, lucky for you, are both available to purchase online.

But whether it’s mild or hot, Marconi or Mezzeta, every jar of giardiniera starts with peppers, cauliflower, carrots, and celery as the four main ingredients. Some brands add olives or bell peppers, or play around with their oil-to-vinegar ratio. “I love that you can find so many varieties in any Chicago-area grocery store,” says Garrett Kern, VP of strategy and culinary at Portillo’s, “but it’s still so hard to find outside of our region.”

How to use giardiniera, beyond the sandwich

Giardiniera seems to be entering a new era as restaurants and cookbook authors take notice of its versatility. Gioia, an Italian restaurant in Chicago’s bustling West Loop area, serves a martini made with the vinegar brine from their house-made classic Italian giardiniera. In her latest book,The Everlasting Meal,cookbook author Tamar Adler dedicates a section to giardiniera and its many uses, from cooking it with greens to using its tanginess to make a dip akin to pimento cheese. Noticing this trend himself, Kern explains that “it’s the combination of textures, acid from the vinegar, richness from the oil, and spice from the peppers,” that makes it such a versatile thing to have in your kitchen.