Submarine Sandwiches

In New Orleans, Clovis Martin, owner of Martin Brothers Grocery, asked his cook to come up with a 5-cent sandwich that would keep the “poor boys”—locals who were unemployed during the Depression—satisfied for an entire day. The sandwich, which came to be called “the po’boy,” is a hefty cross section of French bread stuffed with roast beef and cheese. Today, po’boys may contain a fried fish filet or thinly sliced roast beef or cold cuts. If lettuce, tomatoes, and/or chopped cabbage are added, the sandwich is referred to as “dressed.” A variation is La Mediatrice, or “The Peacemaker,” a loaf stuffed with fried oysters.