Winter Comfort Food Starts With Chili

Mention "three-way" to a Cincinnati native and they'll think chili, which probably helps shed light on just how popular the classic is.

We asked readers what their favorite winter comfort food is, and chili won with 27 percent of the votes.

Macaroni and cheese came in second with 22 percent, followed by chicken noodle soup (17 percent), meatloaf (16 percent), and mashed potatoes (10 percent).

Chocolate chip cookies came in last, with 9 percent of the votes, but we're just going to disregard that because chocolate chip cookies are good year-round — any time, any day, any weather (trick question!).

As for chili, it can be argued that the typical American palate has a very specific taste for chili.

Whether you serve it on spaghetti à la Cincinnati, cook it sans beans like in Texas, or make it green like New Mexico, the style of chili you eat reflects where you grew up. And of all the things you need on a dreary winter's day, you'll definitely need a little nostalgia.

The Daily Byte is a regular column dedicated to covering interesting food news and trends across the country. Click here for previous columns.