Submarine sandwich

A submarine sandwich, commonly known as a sub, is a type of American cold or hot sandwich made from a submarine roll (an elongated bread roll) that is split lengthwise and filled with meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments.

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 as hoagie (Philadelphia English and Western Pennsylvania English), hero (New York City English), Maine Italian (Maine English), grinder (New England English, Fulton County, NY), wedge (Westchester, NY) or spuckie (Boston English).

History

This sandwich type originated in several different Italian-American communities in the northeastern United States from the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. The popularity of the Italian-American sandwich grew from its origins in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island to other parts of the United States, often as local pizzerias began adding the sub to their menus.

As the sandwich's popularity grew, small restaurants called hoagie shops or sub shops, which specialized in offering the sandwich, began to open across the United States.

There are now many chain restaurants that specialize in subs across the United States. The sandwich is also often available at supermarkets, local delis, and convenience stores. They include Wawa, which annually runs a sub promotional event during the summer called Hoagiefest, and Publix, whose sandwiches are often referred to as "pub subs".

Etymology

In a 1987 article in American Speech, linguists Edwin Eames and Howard Robboy identified thirteen different terms for the submarine sandwich in the United States in a survey of 100 American cities. The names, ranked by most widespread use, were: submarine, hoagie, poor boy, grinder, torpedo, Italian sandwich, hero, rocket, zeppelin, Garibaldi, bomber, musalatta, and Cuban sandwich.

thumb|[[Fenian Ram submarine, ]]

One theory says the submarine sandwich was brought to the U.S. by Dominic Conti (1874–1954), an Italian immigrant who came to New York in the late-19th century. This became known as the "Hog Island" sandwich; shortened to "Hoggies", then the "hoagie".

Dictionary.com offers the following origin of the term hoagie - n. American English (originally Philadelphia) word for "hero, large sandwich made from a long, split roll"; originally hoggie (c. 1936), traditionally said to be named for the jazz musician Hoagy Carmichael (1899–1981), but the use of the word predates his celebrity and the original spelling seems to suggest another source (perhaps "hog"). The modern spelling dates from about 1945; it may have been altered by influence of Carmichael's nickname.
The Philadelphia Almanac and Citizen's Manual offers a different explanation saying the sandwich was created by early-twentieth-century street vendors called "hokey-pokey men", who sold antipasto salad, meats, cookies, and buns with a cut in them. When Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta H.M.S. Pinafore opened in Philadelphia in 1879, bakeries produced a long loaf called the pinafore. Entrepreneurial "hokey-pokey men" sliced the loaf in half, stuffed it with antipasto salad, and sold the world's first "hoagie". This hypothesis seems unlikely, as "hokey pokey" men were known street vendors of an ice cream product.
Another explanation is that the word hoagie arose in the late 19th to early 20th centuries, among the Italian community in South Philadelphia; at the time "on the hoke" meant that someone was destitute. Deli owners gave away scraps of cheeses and meats in an Italian bread-roll known as a "hokie", but Italian immigrants pronounced it "hoagie". DePalma styled himself as "King of the Hoggies" (and eventually "Hoagies") and at one time had several "hoggie" shops around the city. By 1955, restaurants throughout the area were using the term hoagie. Listings in Pittsburgh show hoagies arriving in 1961 and becoming widespread in that city by 1966. However, there are claims that the hoagie was actually a product of nearby Chester, Pennsylvania. DiCostanza's in Boothwyn, 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. Additional spellings include "hoagy". Today, the hoagie is a common menu item in Philadelphia delis. Eateries such as Campo's, Geno's Steaks, and Pat's King of Steaks all offer hoagies on their menu.

Woolworth's to-go sandwich was called a hoagie in all of its U.S. stores. Bánh mì sandwiches are sometimes referred to as "Vietnamese hoagies" in Philadelphia.

Hero

thumb|New York style meatball hero with mozzarella

The New York term hero is first attested in 1937. The name is sometimes credited to the New York Herald Tribune food writer Clementine Paddleford in the 1930s, but there is no good evidence for the claim. It is also sometimes said that it is related to the gyro; that is unlikely as the gyro was unknown in the United States until the 1960s.) 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 include eggplant parmigiana, chicken parmigiana, and meatball , each served with sauce.

Grinder

thumb|right|[[Pastrami grinder]]

A common term in New England, especially Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island is grinder; its origin has several possibilities. One theory says it is derived from Italian-American slang for a dock worker, among whom the sandwich was popular. In Pennsylvania, New York, and parts of New England, the term grinder usually refers to a hot submarine sandwich (meatball, sausage, etc.), whereas a cold sandwich (e.g., cold cuts) is usually called a "sub".

thumb|A [[Cross section (geometry)|cross-section of an Italian sandwich]]

The traditional Maine Italian sandwich is prepared using a long, soft bread roll or bun with ham and bologna along with American cheese, tomato, onion, green bell pepper, Greek olives, pickles, olive oil or salad oil, salt and cracked black pepper. Additional ingredients, such as pepperoni, banana pepper, or lettuce may be added to the sandwich. The sandwich is often cut in half to make it easier to handle.

Wedge

The term wedge is used in the New York counties of Dutchess, Putnam, and Westchester, as well as the Connecticut county of Fairfield–four counties directly north of New York City. Some base the name wedge 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 that wedge is short for "sandwich", with the name having originated from an Italian deli owner located in Yonkers, who got tired of saying the whole word.

Other names

thumb|A [[Gatsby (sandwich)|Gatsby sandwich in South Africa]]

In the US

Blimpie (shaped like a blimp) – from the Hoboken, New Jersey–founded chain, Blimpie
Po' boy – Louisiana
Cosmo – Williamsport, Pennsylvania
Zep (short for zeppelin) – Norristown, Pennsylvania
Torpedo Sandwich – Brazil

Party sub

thumb|center|x80px|A very long party sub

A party sub is a particularly long submarine sandwich, usually cut into pieces and served to guests at parties.

International popularity

Subs or their national equivalents were already popular in many European, Asian, and Australasian countries when late 20th-century franchisee chain restaurants such as Subway and fast food outlets made them even more popular and increased the prevalence of the word sub. Many outlets offer non-traditional ingredient combinations. Major international chains include Firehouse Subs, Quiznos, Mr. Sub, Jersey Mike's, Jimmy John's, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, and the largest restaurant chain in the world, Subway.

References

External links

Map of regional variation of the word for a submarine sandwich using data from Bert Vaux's online survey of English dialects (see question 64)