Advertisement
Submarine Sandwiches
Appears in
Published 2004
Hearty sandwiches made on loaves of Italian bread became popular in a number of American cities during the late nineteenth century. In Philadelphia, street vendors known as hokey-pokey men sold a variety of foods, including ice cream. During the early twentieth century, they began selling sandwiches made with sliced meats, cold cuts, cheese, fish, and vegetables on a long oval roll and seasoned with oil and vinegar. They called the sandwich a “hoagie.”
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.