Description
The term “three-way” takes on a whole new meaning in Ohio’s third largest city, Cincinnati, where the connotations are culinary in nature, not naughty. Think, in this case, of Cincinnati-style chili, served over spaghetti and topped with cheese. For the record, there’s also a four-way and a five-way, which add diced onions and beans into the mix - understandably, this too can cause relationship issues when taken to bed. Which is more likely to happen if one has been imbibing without check at the nation’s largest Oktoberfest, held in, yes, Cincinnati.
But in addition to beer (and an abundance of good breweries), sauerkraut, and chili, Ohio has a rich culinary heritage that runs from pork to Polish paczki via popcorn, perch, garlic, grapes, honey, strawberries, melons, tomatoes and sweet corn. Thanks to crisp, cold winters, Ohio also boasts a thriving maple syrup industry, with annual syrup festivals to match. Look also in season for tasty apples, courtesy of Johnny Appleseed, either fresh from the tree or made into tangy hard cider. For more local flavors of the drinkable sort, sip on an after dinner glass of Ice wine, a dessert wine made from grapes frozen on the vine, barreled in the Great Lakes region.
Looking for edible souvenirs? Consider taking the hot dog lover some Stadium mustard from Cleveland, or grab a bag of Olympia Pretzel Crunch and some buckeye candies for that sweet tooth back home.