The Slider originated in Wichita, Kan., and moved to Columbus only in the 1930s. The buckeye is certainly a local favorite, but every corner of Ohio can rightfully claim the candy as its own.

The Bahama Mama was born in Columbus — a descendant of the J. Fred Schmidt Meat Packing House, which opened in 1886 in German Village.

Of the finalists, the Bahama Mama is the one that truly reflects the city’s history, perhaps even more than the Schmidt’s cream puff. The Schmidts were making German sausages in the 1880s; the cream puff dates from the opening of Schmidt’s Sausage Haus restaurant in the 1960s.

Maybe that’s why, when the family had to decide, Schmidt’s asked its fans to vote for the Bahama Mama: The restaurant used its Facebook page to direct traffic to the online Dispatch survey. (Think of it as the cyber equivalent of driving voters to polling sites on Election Day.)

To mark the crowning of Columbus’ official food, I celebrated by eating my first Bahama Mama. I enjoyed it loaded with sauerkraut and slathered with brown mustard. Although it was a little short on bun, I understand why the Mama has so many fans. It is yummy.

The spicy sausage is having a notable year.

In the summer, Schmidt’s will celebrate the 100th anniversary of its sausage booth at the Ohio State Fair. On May 14 (coincidentally, also the day I asked for nominations for the official city food), state Rep. Michael Stinziano, D-Columbus, introduced a resolution in the Ohio House to make the Bahama Mama the official state sausage. Apparently, the Bahama Mama is not the only Ohio sausage being talked about for this designation.