Wings

Contrary to popular culture and humorous advertising, the snack food referred to as "buffalo" wings contains no American Bison. The moniker originated from the city of its origin, Buffalo, New York. Ordinary chickens provide the basis for this popular new food item. The wings, being rather small, used to be either disposed of or preserved and used as soup stock. According to legend, the first wings were served up in the Anchor Bar by the proprietor seeking a quick snack for her son and some of his friends.

Buffalo wings, or spicy chicken wings, are deep fried and then smothered in a spicy barbecue sauce before serving. Traditionally, the sauce is made of cayenne pepper sauce with white vinegar, garlic, butter and salt. Many variations of this sauce recipe have been created nationwide in an attempt to individualize the product from one restaurant's wings from another. There are some recipes that call for batter dipping the wings before deep frying and others that use milder seasoning for a less spicy taste.

In the Southern United States chicken wings are usually referred to as "hot wings" and they are spiced accordingly. Varieties of commercial hot sauce used include Tabasco, Cajun and the original Frank's Red Hot which is very mild compared to the others. Spiced chicken wings can be served dry with a choice of dipping sauces on the side. As with most chicken dishes, the opportunities to create original taste combinations is virtually endless.

With the demand for chicken wings increasing, some restaurants have created an alternative called "buffalo lips" which does not include wings but are actually chicken breast meat cut into bite sized nuggets and smothered in the traditional hot wing sauce.
Buffalo hot wings are generally served with celery, carrot sticks and a blue cheese dipping sauce. Standard side dish snacks to serve with the spicy hot wings include cheese sticks, pizza rolls, fried mushrooms and the inevitable French fried potatoes.

Although the buffalo wings did not come into being until the mid 1960's, popular culture has taken to them so well that there is now a national festival held in Buffalo each Labor Day to celebrate the snack. Events include special sauce contests, awards, eating contests and music. There is a "Hall of Flame" to honor the best sauce recipes and their creators. Demonstrations for the "proper" chicken wing eating technique are also held so everyone can learn the "small bone twist and smash" for themselves.

There are several restaurants in Buffalo that claim to be the originators of this nationally famous treat but most people consider that Teressa Bellissimo started it all. The Anchor Bar Restaurant produces its own licensed brand of buffalo wing sauce and aficionados of the spicy chicken wing say there is nowhere else to experience the "real" wings. Now the Anchor serves up over a thousand pounds of chicken wings every day to movie celebrities, sports stars and politicians who journey to Buffalo, New York and the Anchor Bar to obtain the one and only original "Frank and Teressa's Original Buffalo Wings.