/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>14562264
Texas is a great state, and it's steaks are good, but the best steaks are in the Midwest, particularly Chicago. The entire city owes a great deal of its growth and fortune in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to the Union Stock Yards of Chicago. The railroad system needed to move those tens of thousands of pigs and cattle was part of the reason Chicago became one of the fastest growing cities on earth in the early 1900s. It was on pace to overtake New York (at that point consisting only of Manhattan) until the boroughs of New York unified, right before the 1890 census, where Chicago was poised to come close to overtaking Manhattan. A grand coincide I'm sure.

Regardless, the Union Stockyards also contributes a great deal as to why you'll find copious amounts of beef and pork on every Midwestern menu, in virtually every dish. The yards and the rail system that supported it allowed the quick transfer and processing of meats throughout the Midwest, and although the yards closed down in the 50s, the lasting effect the yards has on Chicago's history and culture is evident in its cuisine and the various illustrious steak houses found all around the city.

Pic related.