Mosaiko

10 Great American Sandwiches

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The casual meal we call a sandwich takes its name from Englishman John Montagu (1718–1792), the Fourth Earl of Sandwich. According to legend, the earl had his servant bring him meals consisting of meat served between two slices of bread so that the nobleman could eat at the gaming table.

During the Industrial Revolution, the sandwich served as a practical lunch that could be prepared at home and carried to work. In the early 1900s, the sandwich skyrocketed in popularity with the introduction of sliced bread.

Most of America’s beloved regional sandwich variations first appeared in the early part of the 20th century. Here are 10 favorites:

East Coast Sub

A submarine sandwich is made on a long roll that is sliced lengthwise and generously stuffed. The earliest sub sandwiches were filled with layers of Italian sliced meats (such as salami, mortadella, and seasoned hams) and cheeses, and then topped with lettuce, tomato, and peppers. The bread was lightly coated with an olive oil dressing. Later variations include hot oven-baked subs filled with meatballs in tomato sauce or Italian sausage and peppers.

Legend has it the name came from East Coast shipyard workers. Similar sandwiches are called grinders in New England, heroes in New York, and hoagies in Philadelphia. The sandwiches originated in Italian-American neighborhoods along the Eastern Seaboard but are now available all across the United States. Other local nicknames include rockets, torpedoes, zeppelins, and poor boys.

New Orleans Poor Boy

The poor boy was named during a streetcar strike in New Orleans in 1929. Sandwiches made on baguettes with leftovers such as roast beef trimmings and gravy were given away free to the striking workers, who were sympathetically called “those poor boys.”

Soon restaurants and stores all over New Orleans began calling their sandwiches “poor boys” (often pronounced po’ boys). Seafood poor boys are the most distinctive variety. Shrimp and oysters were abundant and cheap in New Orleans at the time, and the sandwiches were often filled with fried shrimp or fried oysters. You order a New Orleans poor boy “dressed” if you want lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise or “undressed” if you want it plain.

Gulf Coast Muffuletta

In the 1890s, Sicilian bakers in Gulf of Mexico port cities sold their distinctive breads from pushcarts. The round chewy Sicilian loaves called muffulettas were sold whole or sliced in half lengthwise and stuffed with ham and olives.

During the early 1900s Progressive Era, new sanitary regulations outlawed street food vendors all across the United States. Around 1905, Italian grocery stores in the French Quarter neighborhood of New Orleans began to buy the round muffuletta loaves from local Sicilian bakeries and stuff them with salami, mortadella, provolone cheese, and olive salad. The grocers sold ready-to-eat sandwiches to go and provided tables where customers could eat in the store.

Today, muffulettas are mainly sold in restaurants and cafes across the Gulf States. But the French Quarter grocery store muffuletta remains the definitive version.

Florida Cuban Sandwich

The Cuban sandwich comprises Cuban bread stuffed with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and sometimes salami. A modern Cuban sandwich is always toasted in a sandwich press until the cheese melts. This gives the sandwich its distinctive flat shape and wonderfully dense texture.

But the original Cuban sandwich wasn’t toasted. The sandwich first became popular around 1900 in Ybor City, Florida, (near Tampa) and in Cuba, where it was called a mixto. It was the favorite lunch of cigar factory workers and sugar mill employees.

After the 1960s, when Miami was flooded with Cubans fleeing Fidel Castro’s rule, the pressed Cuban sandwich became ubiquitous in cafeterias and coffee shops there. It remains Miami’s favorite sandwich.

Philly Cheesesteak

Invented at a Philadelphia hot dog stand in the 1930s, this hearty hot sandwich is made with thinly sliced steak that’s cooked on a hot griddle with onions and then served on a split sub roll topped with cheese. Variations include steak with mushrooms, steak with green peppers, and steak with extra onions. Provolone cheese is placed inside the bread roll before the hot steak is added so it melts around the meat. Alternatively, the completed sandwich can be topped with the bright orange processed American cheese spread called Cheez Whiz.

New England Lobster Roll

Lobster rolls were made famous in Maine, but they are common in all of the lobster-producing states of New England and in the neighboring Maritime Provinces of Canada. A lobster roll is made with chopped lobster meat mixed with scallions or celery and mayonnaise seasoned with salt and pepper and served on a toasted hot dog roll. The best lobster rolls contain the meat of an entire lobster. Lobster rolls are so popular in New England, even fast-food restaurants serve them.

Chicago Italian Beef

The Italian beef sandwich is one of several regional variations on the roast beef sandwich. This one was made famous by Chicago hot dog stands. It’s made with thinly shaved slices of garlicky wet-roasted beef mounded on a long roll that has been dipped into the meat juice. The sandwich can be ordered “sweet” (topped with sautéed peppers) or “hot” (topped with spicy pickle mix called giardiniera). The bread can be requested “dipped” (lightly dunked in the meat juice), “juicy” (double-dipped), or “soaked” (dripping wet).

Los Angeles French Dip

Like the Chicago Italian beef, the L.A. French Dip is made with thinly sliced roast beef served on a baguette. But the Hollywood version of the sandwich is usually made with freshly sliced medium to medium-rare roast beef rather than the pre-shaved beef that’s typically used in Chicago. The bread is spread with Dijon mustard and lightly dipped in meat juice. The L.A. French dip is often served with a bowl of roast beef juice on the side so that the diner can dunk the sandwich.

Buffalo Beef on a Weck

Around the city of Buffalo in western New York State, the regional roast beef sandwich is served on a kummelweck roll. German-born bakers popularized this round roll topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. Kummel is German for caraway, and weck is the word for roll in the southern German dialect. Buffalo bar owners made sandwiches on the salty German rolls thinking it would make their patrons thirsty. The rare roast beef is thinly sliced, and the kummelweck roll is dipped in meat juice. Horseradish, dill pickles, and french fries are the standard accompaniments.

Texas BBQ Brisket Sandwich

Slow-smoked beef brisket is the favorite meat at Texas barbecue establishments, and the most popular way to eat it is on a sandwich. There are two versions. A sliced brisket sandwich is made on a hamburger roll that has been spread with barbecue sauce. Thin slices of brisket are piled up on the roll. The meat is topped with onion slices and dill pickle chips. A chopped brisket sandwich is made with a mixture of minced brisket and barbecue sauce and also topped with onion and pickle. The chopped brisket variation resembles a sandwich made with minced meat in a tangy tomato sauce called a “Sloppy Joe” in other parts of the country.