This Off-Menu Wendy's Pairing Plays On A Classic Midwest Chili Tradition

You might not immediately think of the fast food chain Wendy's when you picture ordering a bowl of hot chili, but the stew is part of Wendy's original 1969 menu, along with hamburgers, french fries, Frostys, and soft drinks. Most people would probably pair a steaming bowl of Wendy's chili (which is actually made from unsold hamburger meat) with a side of those salty fries or a six-pack of saucy nuggs, unless, of course, those people are from the Midwest. Out in the sprawling plains of Minnesota and the hills of Iowa, you'll find folks pairing their cups of chili with warm, icing-covered cinnamon rolls.

While not an official menu item, it's relatively easy to whip up this Midwestern classic all on your own. Just order one cup of Wendy's chili for about $3.59 and one side of the Cinnabon Pull-Aparts for about $3.79, then combine the two for a sweet and savory meal. Wendy's even started promoting the unofficial pairing, dubbing it the "Chilibon Combo." In the Midwest, you'll see plenty of people dumping their chili on top of the Cinnabon Pull-Aparts, but ripping the cinnamon roll into pieces for dipping is also acceptable. At the end of the day, the idea is to create a tasty, filling, low-cost meal, which is why this combination doesn't need any more pomp and circumstance to steal the hearts of Midwesterners.

The chili and cinnamon roll pairing is by no means an invention from modern-day Wendy's fans, but a longstanding tradition in the Midwest that spans generations. The origins are murky, with some believing that it can be traced back to the days of logging camps in the early 1900s. Others believe cinnamon rolls and chili joined teams thanks to the genius of Iowa cook Marietta Abarr in 1944, while some think the creation was added to school lunch menus after World War II as a way to manage child nutrition. Whichever way it was invented, chili and cinnamon rolls tend to elicit a strong sense of nostalgia for Midwesterners, often conjuring memories of school days and cafeteria lunch lines.

There are various methods of eating chili and cinnamon rolls(or in this case, Wendy's chili and Cinnabon's Pull-Aparts), though the technique is unique depending on where a person was raised. It's more common to eat the two separately, finishing the chili first and eating the cinnamon roll as dessert immediately after, but some people eat the two at the same time. It's also fairly common to see people dunk the entire cinnamon roll in the bowl of chili, similar to how you'd sop up soup with a roll of bread. You can add this crave-worthy combo to your ever-growing list of Wendy's off-menu items, right beside the trick to ordering a salad with a Frosty for a delicious dessert customization.