Mother-in-law (sandwich)

The mother-in-law is a fast food dish of Chicago, consisting of a tamale topped with chili, served in a hot dog bun.^[1][2][3] The mother-in-law is made with Chicago's unique style of tamale, a machine-extruded cornmeal roll wrapped in paper instead of corn husks, which is typically cooked in a hot-dog steamer.^[4][5]

Mother-in-law

Place of origin	Chicago
Main ingredients	Tamale, chili, hot dog bun

Chicago-style tamale, used to make a mother-in-law

History

Mexican-Americans brought the tamale to Chicago, and African-Americans from the Mississippi Delta area brought the hot tamale to the city.^[6][7] But no one knows how the mother-in-law sandwich developed.^[8][9] Some speculate it may have had its beginnings in Mexico City's torta de tamal, a tamale on a bolillo. The precise origins of the Chicago-style tamale are also obscure.^[4]

See also

• List of sandwiches

References

1. "Making a Mother-in-Law Sandwich", NPR, May 19, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
2. Kindelsperger, Nick (November 9, 2012). "Fat Johnnie's Mother-In-Law Deserves Fame", Serious Eats. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
3. "Delta Tamales in Chicago: The Mother-in-Law Sandwich", Southern Foodways Alliance. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
4. Zeldes, Leah (December 18, 2009). "The Unique Chicago Tamale, a Tuneful Mystery" Archived 2018-01-18 at the Wayback Machine, Dining Chicago. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
5. "'Mother in Law' = 'Tamale with Chili'", LTHForum.com, May 31, 2005. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
6. Sula, Mike (September 16, 2013). "The Great Tamale Migration". Chicago Reader. Retrieved November 12, 2017.
7. Sula, Mike (May 15, 2008). "On the Trail of the Delta Tamale", Chicago Reader. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
8. Katz, Jamie (April 19, 2009). "Searching for a Mother-in-Law Sandwich", Smithsonian magazine. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
9. Stevens, Ashlie D. (May 5, 2022). "The Murky Origins of the Mother-in-Law, a Chicago Tamale-Hotdog Hybrid". Salon.com. Retrieved May 5, 2022.