Po’Boy Sandwich

Po’boy sandwiches are based on crusty loaves of Po’boy-style french bread rarely available outside New Orleans, where long-established bakeries produce loaves noted for their extraordinarily light interior encased in a crusty exterior. Regular french bread is used as a substitute in other areas. Po’boy fillings range from roast beef with a deep, rich gravy called “debris,” to ham, Creole hot sausage, and deep-fried seafood such as shrimp or oysters. Legend credits the creation of the Po’boy to Benny and Clovis Martin, owners of Martin Brothers Grocery in New Orleans during the 1920s. Some say the Martins developed the Po’boy as a way to help striking streetcar workers with an inexpensive meal. Others claim that the Martins, unable to resist the pleading of hungry young black boys requesting a sandwich “for a po’ boy,” would cut their sandwiches into thirds and hand the portions out free to the children. The sandwiches in those days were likely to be filled with french fries and gravy, accounting for the popular french fry Po’boy still enjoyed in New Orleans. Po’boys have become well known and appear on sandwich menus throughout the United States.