On a balmy July night in Buffalo, N.Y., Frank and Teresa Bellisimo created a concoction that would take the world by storm: the buffalo wing. The chicken wing—slathered in the original sauce, a moderately spicy mixture of cayenne pepper, vinegar, salt, garlic and margarine—was soon served in Anchor Bar and Restaurant in Buffalo.
Much has changed in the world of wings. Hundreds of sauces fill the market, the wing has gained nicknames such as wings\ or ""hot wings"" and many people are left to wonder what makes the perfect buffalo wing. As resident wing expert, a title given to me based on the fact that I have actually been to Hooters for the wings, I have the distinct honor of describing the foundations of wingdom.
The chicken itself consists of meat from the middle section of the wing, equivalent to our lower arm, consisting of the ulna and radius bones. The drummie, a fattier, but meatier surrogate to the traditionally used wing, is actually the upper part of the wing, or the humorous, comparable to the human upper arm.
The chicken is lightly breaded and deep fried, giving the wing a slight crunch. After cooking, the wing is coated with the appropriate sauce and served in a basket accompanied, according to Anchor's website www.buffalowings.com, by cut celery and bleu cheese.
Though the original is most likely the favorite among wing aficionados, in its 42-year history, the variability of the buffalo wing has been the X-factor in its success.
As seen in our quest to find Madison's best wings, comparing wings was as difficult as comparing apples and oranges. Sauces adopted from Asian preparations of the chicken wing, which predate the original buffalo wing, are now prevalent, as well as hundreds of sauces from barbecue to Caribbean jerk. Whatever the sauce choice may be, the wing remains a unique and delicious staple of modern American food.
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