There are so many great foods that either got their start in Illinois or were made even better.

You've got pizza, hot dogs, Italian beef, and more when it comes to food that just tastes so much better because you're eating it in Illinois.

Don't forget BBQ, Chinese and Mexican and burgers. Those are also so good in our state.

However, there's one food that usually gets forgotten in the minutiae of all the amazing things you can eat in the Land of Lincoln.

I was reminded of how much I love the stuff when I saw this yesterday on The Takeout:

The Origins of the Pizza Puff, Chicago’s Quiet Local Legend

If you've lived outside of Chicago or even the suburbs your entire life and you've never heard of a pizza puff, I wouldn't be surprised.

Trying to find pizza puffs on menus out of The Windy City is a difficult task. However, I was able to find a few places, notably Tom & Jerry's and Uncle Nick's in Rockford that serve (or at least once served) the stuff.

To the uninitiated, the thought of getting a pizza puff might be a big ask, primarily because most people have no idea what the heck those things are.

The Takeout:

Pizza puffs are more akin to a flat, deep-fried chimichanga, filled with pizza-topping-esque ingredients like thick red sauce, ground sausage, and mozzarella. They are always, always, soaked in grease, and always come to you screaming hot right out of the fryer.

Still on the fence? I reviewed the pizza puff at Uncle Nick's on the 97ZOK YouTube channel a few years ago.

If you haven't had a pizza puff in your life, take my advice, try it. You won't regret it. Just make sure to let it cool down before taking a bite.