This Strange Food Combination Has Some South Dakotans Scratching Their Heads

Last week, I wrote about 10 strange habits every South Dakotan will defend to the death, and it started a debate. One of the list items was "South Dakotans eat their chili with a side of cinnamon roll." While some readers said that this was definitely a common thing in our state, others had never heard of the quirky food combination. Some said, "Must be an East River thing." Others said, "Must be a West River thing." I figured it was time to get to the bottom of this issue.

We can all agree that a big bowl of spicy chili really hits the spot, especially during cold winter months.

And just about everyone loves an ooey, gooey cinnamon roll, still warm from the oven and smothered in sweet cream cheese icing.

It makes sense to eat the two together: you can cool down the heat of the chili with a quick bite of sweet cinnamon roll. It's like the Reese's peanut butter cup - two great tastes that go great together.

A quick survey of South Dakotans might give us a clue: it seems that the combination of chili and cinnamon rolls is (or was) common in public schools across the state.

While your school might not have offered these two together, readers who attended school in Sturgis, Spearfish, Belle Fourche (West River places) AND Sioux Falls, Mitchell and Yankton (East River places) reported that they remember eating cinnamon rolls with their chili for school lunch.

The delicious cinnamon roll/chili combo isn’t just a South Dakota thing, either.

Runza is a restaurant chain that actually advertises and sells its chili with cinnamon rolls on the side. Its locations are mainly in Nebraska, but it also has a few restaurants in Colorado, Kansas and Iowa, so the company is spreading the idea even farther afield.

If you're a die-hard chili and cornbread fan, you might want to give cinnamon rolls a chance.

Though I'd heard of the combination as a South Dakota tradition, I'd never tried it until last weekend, when I made up a pot of chili and a pan of cinnamon rolls. I'm convinced - this is the best idea ever. I'll never go back to cornbread!

Where did the idea originate? After some fairly extensive research, I still can't give you a definitive answer. I'd like to think that some creative South Dakotan cook got the brilliant idea to pair two of her favorite foods at once, and that she taught her children to do the same, and that eventually the idea spread to Nebraska and other Midwestern states.

Do you always pair your chili with a cinnamon roll hot from the oven? If so, how do you think this tradition started?