Chislik – deep-fried pieces wrapped around skewers lamb or beef — has a storied regional culinary tradition that has its roots in South Dakota’s pioneer days.
” A mainstay for decades In cafes, bars“Traditionally, at fairs and gatherings it is served simply with salt or garlic salt and seasoned with brine, and can also be served with a cold beer if you prefer,” wrote South Dakota Magazine in a classic treatise on chislik that was first written in 2005 and has undergone several changes since then.
The popular bar snack, often served on wooden skewers or pierced with a toothpick, is enjoying a modern revival today at places like Urban Chislic in Sioux Falls.
Co-owner Hong Fromany was born in Laos but raised in Sioux Falls. He is as proudly South Dakotan as Sitting Bull and has become a visionary of Chislik history and tradition.
“Russian-German immigrants came from Europe and arrived in Hutchinson County, South Dakota in the 1870s,” Fromani told Fox News Digital by phone a few days ago. A piece of chislik at lunch With my daughter.
Beef Chislik from Urban Chislik in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Chislik is a South Dakota tradition with roots dating back to the arrival of Russian-German immigrant pioneers in the 1870s. (Christian Holman/Urban Chislik)
“So to celebrate the harvest they would slaughter the oldest sheep, which is mutton, and cut it into pieces, fry it and stick it on a skewer.”
Lamb meat is tougher than that of younger sheep. Mutton is made tastier and easier to chew by cutting it into small pieces, deep-frying it and adding salt.
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Beef is also now common. Only a few restaurants have recently moved away from the tradition of salting the meat and serving it with brine – a modern take on the 19th century dry, long-lasting breads such as hard tack.
People around the world know Chislik as Shishkebab.
“It’s been done this way for many, many years and it’s served in all the little bars around South Dakota,” Fromani said.
He even created a video on YouTube that traces the history of chislik back to a Russian-German immigrant, John Hoellwarth, who brought the dish with him from the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea.
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The word chislik comes from shashlik, a Russian word for a common dish. chopped, sliced meat It comes from the nearby region of Turkey on the other side of the Black Sea. People around the world know it as Shishkebab.
Chislik is most common in the southeastern corner of the state, an area that South Dakota Magazine named the “Chislik Circle”.
The Regret Burger from Urban Chislik in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. This hot double smashed lamb burger was featured on the show “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” with Guy Fieri and received national praise for this restaurant’s modern take on the South Dakota culinary tradition, the chislik. (Christian Holman/Urban Chislik)
Sioux Falls, South Dakota’s largest city, is the heart of the Chislik Circle.
According to the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau website, top spots in the city to experience South Dakota’s delicious cuisine include the Barrel House, Attic Bar & Grill, Gateway Lounge, Ode to Food & Drinks and Tinners Public House.
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Topping the list is Urban Chislic, which Fromani opened in 2018 with partners Erik Christensen and Chad Knudsen.
Their concept is a hybrid take on the traditional chislik, similar to what you might find at a ramen bar overseas or in a big city.
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The menu offers a choice of both proteins and sauces. In addition to lamb or beef, guests can choose cubes of fish, pork, chicken or bison and have it served with more than a dozen different dips.
Chislik nachos with house-fried tortilla chips from Urban Chislik in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Chislik’s roots date back to the arrival of Russian-German immigrants in the 1870s. (Christian Holman/Urban Chislik)
These include: creamy white barbecue, spicy-sweet maple and honey mustard sauces.
One sauce, ‘Jau Bong’, is a tribute to ‘Fromani’s’ birthplace and ethnic heritage.
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The traditional Laotian condiment is a sweet-spicy sauce made from a Southeast Asian chili spice.
