Super Bowl snacks: These hometown favorites have you covered

Need snack inspiration for Sunday's big game? Then let the hometown cuisine of the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals inspire your spread!

Superbowl Sunday isn't just about the game, it's also about snacks.
Superbowl Sunday isn't just about the game, it's also about snacks.  © 123rf/potovos

Super Bowl Sunday isn't just about the big game. It's about the commercials and the typically star-studded halftime show.

So there's no better time to see if you and your friends can eat your weight in scrumptious finger food.

Traditional football snacks spreads are all about finger licking good food like wings, pizza rolls, chips, dips (of any and every sort), huge hoagies, and table sized piles of nachos – like this 2020 viral video of a ginormous nacho.

But this year, upping your snack game is as easy as looking to the hometowns of the football teams. Cincinnati has one standout favorite, while Los Angeles has a rich culinary culture to play off of.

Cincinnati Bengal fans are serious about Chili

Bengal fan shotgunning a can of chili.
Bengal fan shotgunning a can of chili.  © screenshot/ Twitter /UCbarstool

Cincinnati, or Queen's city, is home to the Bengals and if there's one food that's synonymous with the city, it's chili.

But this chili is not a chunky con carne. It's more of a red meat sauce, with a Mediterranean spiced flavor profile. Macedonian immigrant brothers created and served this chili on top of a hot dog or spaghetti in 1920, according to the Washington Post.

In Cincinnati, and surrounding states, you can enjoy the local favorites by ordering a two, three, four, or five-way, chili, at chains like Goldstar or Skyline without getting odd looks.

A "three-way," the most popular, and adds a mountain of shredded cheddar cheese to chili topped spaghetti. The additional "ways" include add-ons of beans or onions before the cheese.

So it's clear that Super Bowl snacks fit for Bengals fans should be chili based. In fact, Cincy fans have been doing a lot more than just snacking.

Citybeat, a local alternative newspaper, reported that throughout the season, chugging chili has been a good luck charm: "If the Bengals are up a point? Slam a chili to keep it going. Down? Chug one for good luck."

Yes, Bengals fans have literally been shotgunning cans of chili. There's an entire Twitter thread dedicated to the good luck chili chug.

Los Angeles is about variety and hot dogs

Celebrate a local LA favorite by serving hot dogs.
Celebrate a local LA favorite by serving hot dogs.  © 123rf/ yuragolub

The home of Hollywood and the Los Angeles Rams boasts a vibrant food culture, with everything from tacos to donuts and sushi. But there's no specific good luck food associated with the Rams or their fans.

California, however, is the largest producer of avocados in the US, so you could always just stick to the classics and make a table of nachos with guacamole.

Or you can let a football inspired bet between local eatery chains help direct your menu for Sunday.

Cincinnati Skyline has made a bet with one of the most well known casual dining places in LA: Pink's Hot Dogs. Pink's has been an LA staple since the 1940s, and they specialize in hot dogs burgers, and a coconut cake for dessert.

Food and Wine reported, that if the Rams triumph, Skyline will donate $500 to the Los Angeles Rams Foundation for at-risk youth and if the Bengal's win, Pink's will donate $500 to Freestore Food Bank.

But remember regardless of who wins Superbowl LVI, you can make sure your snacks are the true winners.

Cover photo: 123rf/potovos

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