It’s crunchy and tangy with a slightly spicy kick — giardiniera is the versatile pickled vegetable topping that your Italian sub needs. It brings a surprising twist to salads and flatbreads, and it’s a wonderful condiment for hot dogs. Originating from Italian cuisine, Giardiniera was brought to Chicago by Sicilian immigrants, resulting in Chicago-style variations. Giardiniera can be a mix of chopped or whole veggies and typically includes carrots, celery, cauliflower, and peppers, which is the ingredient that sets each jar apart.
Different regions and producers influence the types of peppers used, but certain varieties remain staples in traditional giardiniera recipes. Mild peppers are commonly used and provide a sweet crunchiness, while spicier peppers bring hot complexity to all brine and vegetables. Traditional Italian giardiniera often incorporates bell peppers for a mild flavor, vibrant color, and crunchy bite. To add a bit more flavor to bell peppers, they can be roasted to a slight char before you add them to the brine. With their mild heat and slightly tangy-sweet taste, banana peppers are also commonly used in mild giardiniera varieties.
For giadinera with mild peppers, the kick can come from something else — the vinegary brine is often brings a sufficient bright, tanginess. The brine is also made with spices and herbs to up the flavor — black pepper, red chili pepper, fennel, garlic, and bay leaf are frequently used.
Spicy peppers for giardiniera
If you’re afraid of a bit of spice, be sure to check giardiniera labels — most are sold labeled as either mild, hot, or spicy, sometimes raising the level to extra spicy or extra hot. The type of pepper added determines the spice level; in the vast world of hot peppers and chiles, only a select few are normally used for giardiniera. Chicago-style giardiniera tends to be spicier than traditional Italian blends, often using sport peppers. These small, thin green peppers have a sharp heat and are also eaten on Chicago hot dogs.
Serrano peppers, typically used in Mexican and Vietnamese cuisine, are long green peppers with a moderate to high level of heat. They’re hotter than jalapeños and offer a crisp texture with a bright, slightly grassy flavor that balances well with the tanginess of the vinegar brine. Similarly, medium-spicy jalapeños (you can check how spicy they will taste with this method) are sometimes added to both Chicago and Italian giardiniera.
It’s not common to make giardiniera with the hottest peppers in the world, but sometimes the super-hot giardinieras will use habanero peppers. Chicago-style giardinieras tend to use a mix of peppers to create a harmony of spice and flavor, such as using a few sport peppers, jalapeños, and serrano peppers.
