Italian Beef Day

Italian beef sandwich. Krista / flickr / 2010 / CC BY 2.0

The Saturday of Memorial Day weekend is Italian Beef Day.

An Italian Beef is a Chicago specialty. It is slices of lean, spiced beef with sauce served on Italian bread, topped with Giardiniera or cooked sweet peppers.

Several sandwich shops in Chicago participate in celebrating today, offering various specials.

#ItalianBeef #NationalItalianBeefDay #NIBD

History

Italian Beef Day started informally in 2014. In 2017, the Buona sandwich store said:

“National Italian Beef Day fell on May 27th this year and it was once again a festive celebration of beef, au jus, peppers, and just the right spicy seasonings. This is the third consecutive year that Chicago has celebrated alongside Buona and it seems like a tradition for the ages.” ^[1]Buona Celebrates Massively Popular National Italian Beef Day. Buona Beef. Chicago, Illinois. 30 May 2017. Accessed April 2021 at https://buona.com/2017/05/30/buona-celebrates-massively-popular-national-italian-beef-day

In 2017, one of the sandwich shops, Buona, approached a website known as Foodimentary and engaged them to officially promote the day as an “official, national day.”

“Buona, The Original Italian Beef, today announced the first annual National Italian Beef Day… While Buona has been celebrating National Beef Month and National Beef Day for three years now, it was in their 35th anniversary year that the approached Foodimentary, the authoritative source for recognizing holidays that celebrate various culinary delights, to create a national holiday to commemorate Chicago’s original Italian beef. They are thrilled to be celebrating the first officially recognized National Italian Beef Day, which falls on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend” ^[2] Hensler, Matt. Buona Announces the First Official National Italian Beef Day. Chicago, Illinois: Patch. 17 May 2017. Accessed April 2021 at https://patch.com/illinois/chicago/buona-announces-first-official-national-italian-beef-day

That day in 2017 marked, in their mind, the first official day:

“Saturday marks the first official National Italian Beef Day… And although you might have been led to believe the last two years were already National Italian Beef Day–this is the first time it is officially recognized.” ^[3]Curry, Pat. Saturday is National Italian Beef Day — where and how to cash in. Chicago, Illinois: WGN-TV. 26 May 2017. Accessed April 2021 at https://wgntv.com/2017/05/26/saturday-is-national-italian-beef-day-where-and-how-to-cash-in/

Sources

Beef Up Your May on National Italian Beef Day at Pop’s on May 23. Chicago Food Magazine. 18 May 2018. Accessed April 2021 at http://www.chicagofoodmagazine.com/news/beef-up-your-may-on-national-italian-beef-day-at-pops

Chicago’s First Italian Beef Festival to Come in May. NBC Chicago. 8 May 2018. Accessed April 2021 at https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicagos-first-italian-beef-festival-to-come-in–may-482113451.html

Graham, Lise. The Italian Beef Greats: Buona & Al’s tell their stories. WGN Radio. 31 May 2017. Accessed April 2021 at https://wgnradio.com/on-the-road/the-italian-beef-greats-buona-als-tell-their-stories/

Pop’s encourages customers to ‘Get Your Beef On’ the last week of May. Chicago, Illinois: Patch.18 May 2018. Accessed April 2021 at https://patch.com/illinois/palos/pops-italian-beef-sausage-celebrates-italian-beef-day