South Dakota bar snack chislic, rooted in pioneer tradition, enjoys modern American makeover

Chislic — skewered cubes of deep-fried lamb or beef — is a rugged regional culinary tradition tracing its roots to South Dakota’s pioneer days.

"For decades a mainstay at cafés, bars, fairs and celebrations, it historically has been enhanced only by salt or garlic salt and served with saltines and, if you are so inclined, washed down with a cold beer," South Dakota Magazine wrote in a classic treatise on chislic, first in 2005 and updated since then.

The popular bar snack, often served on wooden skewers or stabbed by toothpicks, enjoys a modern revival today at places like Urban Chislic in Sioux Falls. 

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Co-owner Hong Phrommany was born in Laos but raised in Sioux Falls. He’s as proudly South Dakotan as Sitting Bull and has become an oracle of chislic history and tradition.

"Russian-German immigrants migrated from Europe and landed in Hutchinson County, South Dakota, in 1870," Phrommany told Fox News Digital by phone a few days ago, between bites of chislic at lunch with his daughter.

Beef chislic from Urban Chislic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Chislic is a South Dakota tradition that traces its roots to the arrival of Russian-German immigrant pioneers in the 1870s.  (Christian Holman/Urban Chislic)

"So to celebrate the harvest they would slaughter the oldest sheep, which is mutton, and they would cube it and fry it and skewer it." 

Mutton meat is tougher than that of younger sheep. Small cubes, deep-frying and salting made mutton tastier and easier to chew. 

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Beef is now common, too. Few eateries have deviated, until recently, from the tradition of salting the meat and serving it with saltines — a modern interpretation of dry, long-lasting breads such as hard tack common in the 19th century. 

People around the world know chislic as shishkebab. 

"It’s been done that way for years and served at all the little bars around South Dakota," said Phrommany. 

He even created a YouTube video tracing the history of chislic to one Russian-German immigrant in particular, John Hoellwarth, who brought the dish with him from the Crimean Peninsula on the Black Sea. 

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The word chislic traces its roots to shashlik, the Russian word for a common dish of cubed, skewered meat from nearby Turkey on the other side of the Black Sea. People around the world know it as shishkebab. 

Chislic is most common in the southeastern corner of the state, an area that South Dakota Magazine dubbed "The Chislic Circle." 

The Regret Burger from Urban Chislic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The hot double smash lamb burger was featured on the show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" with Guy Fieri and generated national acclaim for the restaurant's modern take on chislic, a South Dakota culinary tradition.  (Christian Holman/Urban Chislic)

Sioux Falls, easily South Dakota's largest city, is the heart of The Chislic Circle.

Top spots in town to experience the South Dakota delicacy include the Barrel House, Attic Bar & Grill, Gateway Lounge, Ode to Food & Drinks and Tinner's Public House, according to the website of the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau. 

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Urban Chislic tops its list. Phrommany opened the eatery in 2018 with partners Erik Christensen and Chad Knudtson. 

Their concept gives traditional chislic a mix-and-match makeover you might find in an overseas or big-city ramen bar.

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The menu comes with a choice of both proteins and sauces. In addition to lamb or beef, guests can select cubes of fish, pork, chicken or bison and pair it with any of a dozen different dips. 

Chislic nachos with house-fried tortilla chips from Urban Chislic in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Chislic traces its roots to the arrival of Russian-German immigrants in the 1870s.  (Christian Holman/Urban Chislic)

Among them: creamy white barbecue, spicy-sweet maple and honey mustard sauces.

One sauce, jaew bong, is a tribute to Phrommany’s birthplace and ethnic heritage. 

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The traditional Laotian condiment is a sweet-hot sauce made with Southeast Asian chili spice.