Vintage Chicago Tribune: Hot dogs! Pizza! Popcorn! Lemonade! Chicken pot pie! Get your food history, here!

Be careful, Chicago, this newsletter could make you very hungry.

We’re taking a look back at how a variety of local foods came to be known as Chicago greats. You know, the bites, beverages and restaurants you crave, whether it’s a weeknight or a special occasion to be shared with out-of-town guests.

From snacks to full meals to desserts to drinks — each one was perfected here.

[ Critics’ Choice Food Awards: From pizza to pho, our picks for the best in Chicago dining for 2023 ]

Through the decades, the Tribune has explored these culinary wonders and shared them with you.

But now we need your help to determine Chicagoland’s favorite food picks for this year. Voting has begun in the 2023 Readers’ Choice Food Awards and will continue through March 31.

There are five finalists in each category — and 10 for Best New Restaurant.

So, tell us which are your favorite foods. Who knows — they, too, could join these Chicago classics.

[ Readers’ Choice Food Awards 2023: Vote for your favorite restaurants, bars and more ]

Become a Tribune subscriber: it’s just $12 for a 1-year digital subscription. Follow us on Instagram: @vintagetribune. And, catch me Monday mornings on WLS-AM’s “The Steve Cochran Show” for a look at “This week in Chicago history.”

Thanks for reading!

— Kori Rumore, visual reporter

Chicago history | More newsletters | Puzzles & Games | Today’s eNewspaper edition

Chicago has a robust barbecue tradition, particularly for a northern city, Tribune food critic Nick Kindelsperger discovered. Read more here.

The full story has now been unearthed with help from the living descendants of not one, but two families, including an 88-year-old who once ate a hot dog five days a week and returned recently to the same booths he polished as a boy. Read more here.

Since at least the 1870s, Chicago has been a hotbed of popcorn innovation. Part of that has to do with Chicago’s role as a transportation hub for grain in the Midwest. But the entrepreneurial spirit of its citizens certainly helped. Read more here.

Since 1911, one family of bakers has survived through four generations by changing with the neighborhood and maintaining a strong connection to the community. Oh, and by making a heck of a butter loaf. Read more here.

Earlier this year, Tribune food critic Louisa Chu went in search of the real woman behind what may be the oldest known restaurant recipe in the city, dating to 1890. Despite help from researchers, genealogists and historians, Hering’s identity remained a mystery. Some wondered if she even existed. Read more here.

While located at 1855 W. Madison St., the Billy Goat Tavern didn’t have a grill. It was only after moving to 430 N. Michigan Ave. that it started serving food. Read more here.

The business, perhaps best known for Chinese American classics including egg foo young and Chicago-style peanut butter egg rolls, opened in the late 1920s. Read more here.

As Hanukkah celebrations were underway last December, the Tribune visited eight Jewish restaurants across Chicagoland that are resilient as they are delicious. Read more here.

The first families of Black food culture in Chicago not only dominate the South Side with lines out their doors, they also cross cultural boundaries, luring people hungry for their barbecue, fried chicken, mild sauce, apple fritters and sweet steak sandwiches. Read more here.

The menu of Italian ice has grown over 67 years, but you’ll still find the original flavor, which transforms liquid lemonade into its final, silky frozen form, with lemon rind and occasional seeds in your cup. Read more here.

Chicago-made Malort, for better or worse, maintains the essence of grapefruit meets gasoline. Read more here.

There is almost no documentation about who invented the dish, and without it, legend has taken over. Read more here.

Who truly invented the Atomic Cake and why it stayed on the South Side remain a mystery, even to the Bakers Dozen, a local group from the oldest family bakeries who consider themselves friends and not competitors. Read more here.

Josephine’s has not only remained open, it has a history that dates back 60 years. Her business has far exceeded the life spans of closed iconic soul food restaurants Army & Lou’s, Izola’s, Edna’s, Soul Queen and Gladys’ Luncheonette. Read more here.

The Pump Room. Ed Debevic’s. Everest. Studio Paris. Lettuce Entertain You restaurants have found themselves woven into the history of Chicago and the fond memories of countless diners. Read more here.

Though the Chicago-style hot dog is arguably the greatest hot dog in the country, for most of the 20th century, Tribune reporters and recipe writers mostly acted deeply embarrassed about the dish. Read more here.

Join our Chicagoland history Facebook group and follow us on Instagram for more from Chicago’s past.

Have an idea for Vintage Chicago Tribune? Share it with Ron Grossman and Marianne Mather at rgrossman@chicagotribune.com and mmather@chicagotribune.com.