Italian Sausage Sandwich

Grilled Italian sausage, served in an Italian roll and topped with fried peppers and onions, is found throughout most of the United States, but it is especially popular in the Northeast and Chicago areas where Italian immigrants originally settled. Preserved meats in the form of sausages have a long history in Italy, so the Italians naturally brought their sausage-making skills to America. Initially, Italian sausage, composed of pork flavored with garlic and anise or fennel seed, was made for home consumption or for sale within Italian communities. American troops returning home from World War II brought with them a taste for many foreign foods, including Italian, and in the 1950s and 1960s the taste for both mild and hot sausages spread to a wider public. Soon, Italian sausage sandwiches, topped with peppers and onions, were being sold at many church and public events and at amusement parks. That tradition continues, and the sandwich is a featured food at festivals, fairs, and ballparks.