Chicago didn’t invent giardiniera. That was the Italians. What we did was perfect it.
If you see a jar of giard made elsewhere, it will consist of big chunks of pickled cauliflower, celery, bell peppers, and carrots in vinegar. This variety came to Chicago in the late 1800s with Italian immigrants. Many of them were from Sicily, where oil was used in addition to the vinegar brine, and our local style evolved from there.
Chicago giardiniera features the same vegetables, but chopped up and with chile peppers like serranos. Because of that and jarring it in oil, our giard has more verve. Unlike Italian giardiniera, created to preserve vegetables for winter and served as antipasto, Chicago’s works as a versatile condiment with seemingly endless possibilities. While its most famous use is on Italian beef sandwiches, it can zhuzh up many different foods. At home, I mix it into mayonnaise for my turkey sandwich. Friends swear by putting it into tuna salad.
With no exact recipe — or pronunciation — giardiniera allows chefs to make it their own. So whether you add green olives or not, and whether you say it “jar-din-AIR-ah” or “jar-din-AIR,” know that you’re partaking in refining Chicago’s ultimate condiment. — Amy Cavanaugh
