 Submarine sandwich made withcold cuts, next to a bowl ofstone-ground mustard | |
| Alternative names | List
|
|---|---|
| Type | Sandwich |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Northeast United States |
| Associatedcuisine | Italian-American cuisine |
| Main ingredients | Submarine roll |
Asubmarine sandwich, commonly known as asub, is a type of American cold or hotsandwich made from asubmarine roll (an elongatedbread roll) that is split lengthwise and filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments.[2][3]
Although "submarine" or just "sub" is the general term for both the bread roll and sandwiches made with it in both the US and other English speaking nations, there are many local nicknames, especially in the northeastern United States, such ashoagie (Philadelphia English andWestern Pennsylvania English),hero (New York City English),Maine Italian (Maine English),grinder (New England English,Fulton County, NY),wedge (Westchester, NY) orspuckie (Boston English).
This sandwich type originated in several differentItalian-Americancommunities in thenortheastern United States from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries.[4] The popularity of theItalian-American sandwich grew from its origins inConnecticut,Pennsylvania,Delaware,Maryland,New York,New Jersey,Massachusetts, andRhode Island to other parts of the United States. This was often due to local pizzerias beginning to add the sub to their menus.
Pizzerias may have been among the first Italian-American eateries, but even at the turn of the [20th] century distinctions were clear-cut as to what constituted a true ristorante. To be merely a pizza-maker was to be at the bottom of the culinary and social scale; so many pizzeria owners began offering other dishes, including the hero sandwich (also, depending on the region of the United States, called a 'wedge,' a 'hoagie,' a 'sub,' or a 'grinder') made on an Italian loaf of bread with lots ofsalami, cheese, and peppers.
— John Mariani,America Eats Out, p. 66
As the sandwich's popularity grew, small restaurants, called hoagie shops or sub shops, which specialized in offering the sandwich, began to open all over the United States.[5][6][7] There are now manychain restaurants that specialize in subs across the US.The sandwich is also often available atsupermarkets, localdelis, andconvenience stores. They includeWawa, which annually runs a sub promotional event during the summer called Hoagiefest,[8] andPublix, whose sandwiches are often referred to as "pub subs".[9][10]
In a 1987 article inAmerican Speech, linguists Edwin Eames and Howard Robboy identified thirteen different terms for the submarine sandwich in the United States.[1]
The use of the term "submarine" or "sub" (after the resemblance of the roll to the shape of asubmarine) is widespread in the United States and Canada.[2] Some accounts source the name as originating inNew London, Connecticut (site of aUnited States Navy submarine base from 1915 onwards) in theWorld War II era. Written advertisements from 1940 inWilmington, Delaware indicate the term originated prior to the United States entering World War II.[11]
One theory says the submarine sandwich was brought to the U.S. by Dominic Conti (1874–1954), anItalian immigrant who came to New York in the late-19th century.[4] He supposedly named it "submarine roll" after seeing the recovered 1901 submarine calledFenian Ram in thePaterson Museum of New Jersey in 1928. His granddaughter said:
My grandfather came to this country circa 1895 fromMontella, Italy. Around 1910, he started his grocery store, called Dominic Conti's Grocery Store, on Mill Street inPaterson, New Jersey where he was selling the traditional Italian sandwiches. His sandwiches were made from a recipe he brought with him from Italy, which consisted of a long crust roll, filled with cold cuts, topped with lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, onions, oil, vinegar, Italian herbs and spices, salt, and pepper. The sandwich started with a layer of cheese and ended with a layer of cheese (this was so the bread wouldn't get soggy).[4]
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The termhoagie originated in thePhiladelphia area. There are a number of hypotheses about the origin of the term:
Shortly afterWorld War II, there were numerous varieties of the term in use throughout Philadelphia. By the 1940s, the spelling "hoagie" dominated less-used variations like "hoogie" and "hoggie".[18] By 1955, restaurants throughout the area were using the termhoagie. Listings inPittsburgh show hoagies arriving in 1961 and becoming widespread in that city by 1966.[18]
Former Philadelphia mayor (and laterPennsylvania governor)Ed Rendell declared the hoagie to be the "Official Sandwich of Philadelphia".[19] However, there are claims that the hoagie was actually a product of nearbyChester, Pennsylvania.[20] DiCostanza's inBoothwyn, Pennsylvania claims that the mother of DiConstanza's owner originated the hoagie in 1925 in Chester. DiCostanza relates the story that a customer came into the family deli and through an exchange matching the customer's requests and the deli's offerings, the hoagie was created.[21][22] Additional spellings include "hoagy". Today, the hoagie is a common menu item inPhiladelphia delis. Eateries such asCampo's,[23]Geno's Steaks, andPat's King of Steaks all offer hoagies on their menu.[24]
Woolworth's to-go sandwich was called ahoagie in all of its U.S. stores.[25]Bánh mì sandwiches are sometimes referred to as "Vietnamese hoagies" in Philadelphia.[26]
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The New York termhero is first attested in 1937.[27] The name is sometimes credited to theNew York Herald Tribune food writerClementine Paddleford in the 1930s, but there is no good evidence for the claim. It is also sometimes said that it is related to thegyro; that is unlikely as thegyro was unknown in the United States until the 1960s.[5]Hero (plural usuallyheros notheroes[28]) remains the prevailing New York City term for most sandwiches on an oblong roll with a generally Italian flavor, in addition to the original described above. Pizzeria menus often includeeggplant parmigiana,chicken parmigiana, andmeatball heros, each served with sauce.
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A common term inNew England, especially Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island isgrinder; its origin has several possibilities.[29][30] One theory says it is derived fromItalian-American slang for a dock worker, among whom the sandwich was popular.[29][5] Others say that it was called a grinder because the bread's hard crust required much chewing, and that it wouldgrind one's teeth.[29][31] In Pennsylvania, New York, and parts of New England, the termgrinder usually refers to ahot submarine sandwich (meatball, sausage, etc.), whereas a cold sandwich (e.g.,cold cuts) is usually called a "sub".[11] In the Philadelphia area, the termgrinder is also applied to any hoagie that is toasted in the oven after assembly, whether or not it is made with traditionally hot ingredients.
The term "Maine Italian" or simply "Italian" is used inMaine. Local folklore claims that a baker namedGiovanni Amato invented the Italian in 1899.[32]
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The traditionalMaine Italian sandwich is prepared using a long, soft bread roll or bun with ham and bologna along withAmerican cheese, tomato, onion,green bell pepper, Greek olives, pickles,olive oil orsalad oil, salt and cracked black pepper.[33][34][35] Additional ingredients, such aspepperoni,banana pepper, orlettuce may be added to the sandwich. The sandwich is often cut in half to make it easier to handle.[33][36][37]
The termwedge is used in theNew York counties ofDutchess,Putnam, andWestchester, as well as theConnecticut county ofFairfield–four counties directly north of New York City. Some base the namewedge on a diagonal cut in the middle of the sandwich, creating two halves or "wedges", or a "wedge" cut out of the top half of the bread with the fillings "wedged" in between, or a sandwich that is served between two "wedges" of bread. It has been said thatwedge is short for "sandwich", with the name having originated from an Italian deli owner located inYonkers, who got tired of saying the whole word.[38][11]Wedge orwedgie can also refer to a northeastern deli meat sandwich cooked on pizza dough[39] or a style ofclub sandwich.
The termspukie ("spukkie" or "spuckie") is unique to the city ofBoston and derives from the Italian wordspuccadella, meaning "long roll". The wordspuccadella is not typically found inItalian dictionaries, which may suggest that it could be a regional Italian dialect, or possibly aBoston Italian-American innovation. Spukie is typically heard in parts ofDorchester andSouth Boston. Some bakeries in Boston'sNorth End neighborhood have homemade spuccadellas for sale.[40]
Aparty sub is a particularly long submarine sandwich, usually cut into pieces and served to guests at parties.
Subs or their national equivalents were already popular in many European, Asian, and Australasian countries when late 20th-centuryfranchisee chain restaurants such asSubway andfast food outlets made them even more popular and increased the prevalence of the wordsub. Many outlets offer non-traditional ingredient combinations. Major international chains includeFirehouse Subs,Quiznos,Mr. Sub,Jersey Mike's,Jimmy John's,Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and the largest restaurant chain in the world, Subway.[45]
Delaware has the strongest claim to the 'submarine sandwich,' with that term appearing in a Wilmington telephone directory in January 1940.
