By EMILY VOSS
What Is Chicago's Gravy Bread?
Chicago boasts a thriving culinary scene with veggie-loaded hot dogs, delectable pizzas, and Michelin starred dining. Its iconic gravy bread also offers a unique taste experience.
Gravy bread is a plain Italian roll soaked in rich beef gravy. Its popularity lies in the unique blend of herbs, spices, and savory drippings that make up the flavorsome jus.
The dish derives from Chicago’s famous Italian beef sandwich, whose origins are intertwined with the city’s history. The sandwich features thinly sliced beef, pickles, and gravy.
Chicago’s Italian immigrants created the Italian beef sandwich to make flavorsome meals from cheap cuts of beef. Gravy bread is simply the sandwich without meat slices or veggies.
While less appealing to some than the beef sandwich, gravy bread represents pure indulgence in the sauce, often made using a restaurant's unique, multi-generational gravy recipe.