CITYWIDE — If you go to the Field Museum’s exhibit Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches, you’ll learn that blood is a life-sustaining source of nutrients for many animals. And, it turns out, it’s also a reliable source of nutrients for non-vampiric humans in many countries around the world — though the U.S. is not among them.
As the Field’s PR team strategized with its outside partner Leo Burnett for ways to promote the exhibit, a new idea emerged: How about showing Chicagoans who never considered eating blood what they’ve been missing out on?
Of course, most museum exhibits don’t have edible components, and “Bloodsuckers” is no exception. But what if visitors could sample blood at local restaurants?
“Chicago is a great foodie town,” reasoned Maggie Holcomb, the Field’s marketing and advertising director. “It’s a great way to partner with the community around us and bring people to the museum we don’t usually get.”
And how often do Chicagoans have the chance to say they’ve tried blood?
The Field isn’t a complete novice at culinary-related promotions: It previously had success partnering with Off Color Brewing on a limited-edition beer based on chicha, a brew the Wari people of Peru drank 1,000 years ago. But this is the first time it’s partnered with outside restaurants.
Near the end of 2023, the museum put out a call to local restaurants to join in the event, now known as “Blood Appétit”. The final lineup of eight restaurants — Mott Street, Frontier, Parachute, Taqueria Chingon, Celeste, Reno, Webster Wine Bar and The Wieners Circle — will offer the bloody specials through Friday.
The chefs were excited to participate.
“It’s an opportunity to talk about something that most people have never had before,” said Beverly Kim, the chef-owner of Parachute, a Korean American restaurant in Avondale. “In America, blood in cuisine is not a commonplace ingredient. In Korea, it dates back thousands of years.”
Americans, Kim said, have historically had the luxury of enough animals and space to raise them that they can afford to eat only select cuts of meat and throw the rest away.
Cooks in other countries have not been as fortunate and have learned to make use of every part of the animal — including blood, which makes up about 14 percent of an animal’s body weight and is rich in protein and electrolytes, among other nutrients. Most humans prefer pig’s or boar’s blood.
At Parachute, Kim uses it in a sausage that’s also stuffed with rice and glass noodles. She was able to source the blood from her regular purveyor.
But how does it taste?
“It has an interesting texture,” Kim said. “It’s soft when you cook it right. Our blood sausage is almost like an egg. It has a custard-like texture. It’s savory and tender. You might think it would taste iron-y, but the flavor is very mild. Kids in Korea eat it.”
Five of the eight restaurants decided to serve some form of blood sausage, either on its own, as at Parachute, or as sliders (Frontier), mixed with pasta (Celeste) or on top of pizza (Reno, where chef Jason Normann was also inspired to add roasted red peppers because he thought they looked like veins). Taqueria Chingon already had morcilla tacos on the menu, but the owners were happy to join in the promotion.
Webster Wine Bar and Mott Street decided to opt for a dessert course, blood chocolate tart and devil’s food cake, respectively.
The Wieners Circle will not be serving blood. Instead, it is offering a hot dog with ketchup which, to some Chicagoans, may be even more horrifying than blood. It comes with a shot of Malort.
Diners who order the bloody specials will receive $5 off on admission to the museum.
“Bloodsuckers” will remain at the Field until Labor Day. Holcomb isn’t sure if there will be another edition of “Blood Appétit” before then.
But Kim has seen such a positive response to her blood sausage that she plans to bring it back to Parachute, either as another special or a permanent menu item.
“Everyone who’s had it,” she said, “really loves it.”
Blood Appétit runs through Friday at participating restaurants. “Bloodsuckers: Legends to Leeches” runs through Sept. 2 at the Field Museum, 1400 S. Dusable Lake Shore Drive.
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