Cincinnati chili has its fair share of detractors, dubious of the inclusion of cinnamon and chocolate (the latter a matter of debate even among fans of the dish) and the typical way it’s eaten on spaghetti with a fork. But now a century old, Cincinnati’s regional favorite has shown that it has staying power, and after one taste of this version adapted from “Joy of Cooking,” you’ll quickly see why. “For skeptical or puzzled readers who have trouble squaring this chocolate-laced spaghetti topping with their notions of what a chili ought to be: We suggest you think of it as a Macedonian Bolognese sauce instead,” the book’s authors wrote.

It was invented by brothers Tom and John Kiradjieff, who immigrated to Cincinnati in the early 1920s from Macedonia and opened Empress Chili Parlor in 1922. “The Kiradjieffs took a meat stew with traditional Mediterranean spices like cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg and added chili powder, along with other spices familiar to their Slavic Mediterranean upbringing, and called it chili, something easily recognized by Americans,” Dann Woellert wrote in “The Authentic History of Cincinnati Chili.”

The first menu sold the chili either on hot dogs or mixed with spaghetti, according to Woellert. It was a customer who first suggested serving the chili on top of the spaghetti instead of mixed with it, and another who asked for it to be topped with grated cheese. From there, the “ways” it’s served came to be: atop spaghetti (2-way), sprinkled with cheddar cheese (3-way), diced onions (4-way) and red kidney beans (5-way).

The Cincinnati chili recipe found in “Joy of Cooking” first appeared in the 1997 edition. “The recipe was developed by my father, Ethan, born and raised in the Cincinnati area, for a chili cook-off,” John Becker, co-author with Megan Scott of the book’s 2019 edition, told The Post. “Somewhat implausibly, he claims he was also a judge. His entry won the blind tasting. Ethan always says he chose his as the best thinking it was someone else’s entry.”

Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical upon reading the recipe, which told me to add ground beef directly to boiling water instead of sauteing it along with the aromatics first. But I trusted the process, and it all worked out in the end. The amount of time spent simmering on the stovetop evaporates most if not all of the water and makes up for not first sauteing some of the ingredients.

For the patient among us, the chili is most flavorful after resting for a day, though my spoonfuls straight from the pot after it finished simmering were still quite delicious. To that end, Becky Krystal also converted this recipe for the Instant Pot for those wanting a taste of the Midwest specialty tonight.

In addition to the five standard ways of serving the chili in Cincinnati, Becker suggests that two other typical options are a must. “I was born there and spent summers there until I was about 15, so I’m not exactly a local authority,” he said. “Not sure if this is canon, but topping the cheese pillow with crumbled oyster crackers and Tabasco or Frank’s is essential, too, for me at least.”