Chicago put the series The Bear on the TV map, and with it the entire world is suddenly looking up the recipe for Italian beef - a sandwich that's existed since the early 20th century, when Italian immigrants in the city's working-class neighbourhoods were looking for a way to turn cheap beef into a lunch.

The solution is simple in description, demanding in practice: a beef roast is slow-cooked in an aromatic broth with onion, oregano, basil, thyme and bay leaves. It chills overnight. In the morning it's cut into ultra-thin slices and dipped back into its own jus - the famous „au jus." It gets served in a firm but absorbent roll, with giardiniera - pickled vegetables (carrots, celery, cauliflower, hot peppers, olives) that bring acidity and texture.

There are three ways to serve it and each has its fans. Dry - the meat lifted out of the jus, no drip. Wet - a spoonful of jus across the top. Dipped - the whole sandwich plunged into the jus before serving. The series made the dipped style famous; the real-life Chicago landmark Mr. Beef on Orleans (opened in 1979) lets you have all three.

Why should the Balkans bother trying this? Because the logic is the same as our stews - cheap meat, lots of time, modest seasoning - just with an Italian frame and an American ambition. And because in an age when everyone reaches for cold pâté and shoves tuna into a roll, a sandwich you have to think about four hours in advance carries something we're short on - intent.