Chow Down Chicago: Good Eats from the Windy City

  The Maxwell Street polish sausage sandwich, referred to as the “Maxwell Street Polish” for short, consists of Polish sausage topped with yellow mustard and grilled onions served on a steamed bun. It may also be topped with pickled sport peppers. The sandwich was invented in 1943 by James “Jimmy” Stefanovic, an immigrant from Macedonia who ran Jim’s Original hot dog stand on the corner of Maxwell and Halsted streets, right in the heart of the Maxwell Street outdoor market. Stefanovic also invented the pork chop sandwich. According to Chicago food historian Bruce Kraig, sausage is eaten with grilled onions and mustard in Germany, and many Jewish immigrants who lived in the neighborhood at the time hailed from Germany. Joe Stefanovic, son of James, thinks his dad also grilled the onions for the smell. The sport peppers may have been added because of the influence of Greek or Italian vendors at the outdoor market or may have been due to early Mexican influence.    Eur...