The US has contributed vastly to perfecting the art of a truly beautiful and tasty sandwich. Each State will claim theirs to be the best, and this statement is true to a certain extent. The recipes, tastes, preferences, and even styles of sandwich vary as you travel across the US, but they all have one thing in common. Their heritage, the fact that they are hearty comfort food and simply the way they taste and make you feel is what makes each State and their famous sandwich so popular. For example, New York has the pastrami sandwich, Connecticut has the lobster roll, and Louisiana is world famous for it’s Po’ Boy. All these sandwiches are remarkably different to one another, yet mean the same to those natives, and even the tourists that visit. So enough of the talk, here is a collection of 10 of the best sandwiches each of the US States listed here have to offer its residents and those lucky enough to travel to and try. We’ve also included their main ingredients within the listing.
New York – Pastrami on Rye
Pastrami, Mustard, Pickle
Pastrami on rye is a classic sandwich made famous in the Jewish kosher delicatessens of New York City. It was first created in 1888 by Sussman Volk, who served it at his deli on Delancey Street in New York City. It became a favorite at other delis, served on rye bread and topped with spicy brown mustard. Delis in New York City, like Katz’s Delicatessen, have become known for their pastrami on rye sandwiches. In her description of the book on Katz’s, Florence Fabricant, the noted food critic for the New York Times, described the volume “as overstuffed as Katz’s pastrami on rye.”The pastrami on rye sandwich has come to be a symbol of the classic New York Jewish deli, being featured in delis around the world attempting to recreate the ambience of the original New York delis, in cities such as Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Boca Raton, Florida, and San Diego, California. The classic, which some consider to be New York’s signature sandwich, consists simply of sliced pastrami, placed on rye bread, and topped with spicy brown mustard. It is usually accompanied by a Kosher dill pickle on the side.
Tennessee – Nashville Hot Chicken
Spicy Chicken, Pickles
Hot chicken or Nashville hot chicken is a type of fried chicken that is a local specialty of Nashville, TN, in the United States. In its typical preparation, it is a portion of breast, thigh, or wing that has been marinated in a water-based blend of seasoning, floured, fried, and finally covered in a paste or sauce that has been spiced with cayenne pepper. It is served atop slices of white bread with pickle chips. It is both the application of a spicy paste and the presentation that differentiates it from similar dishes, such as Buffalo wings. It can be viewed in similar context to other foods that have been tweaked to be unique in a regional way, such as the slugburger or the Mississippi Delta tamale.There are many restaurants in Nashville that serve a variant of the dish, and there is a citywide festival and competition celebrating it. The popularity of hot chicken has spread beyond the Southern United States due to the influence of Nashville’s music industry.
North Dakota – Sloppy Joe
Ground Beef, Onions, Tomato
Head to any North Dakota basketball game, picnic, potluck or gathering, and you’ll likely find a platter full of Sloppy Joes, which are more commonly called “barbecues” (or, if you’re in the western part of the state, “slush burgers”). These loose-meat sandwiches include ketchup and a taco-seasoning-imbued sauce that binds the ground beef between two sides of a hamburger bun. You’ll find these sandwiches in myriad small cafes around the state, but head to the Fabulous Kegs Drive-In in Grand Forks and pair your sandwich with onion rings.
Florida – Cuban sandwich
Ham, Cheese, Pickles
A Cuban sandwich (Spanish: Sándwich cubano) is a variation of a ham and cheese sandwich that likely originated in cafes catering to Cuban workers in Tampa or Key West, two early Cuban immigrant communities in Florida centered around the cigar industry. Later on, Cuban exiles and expatriates brought it to Miami, where it is also very popular. The sandwich is made with ham, roasted pork, Swiss cheese, pickles, mustard, and sometimes salami on Cuban bread. Salami is included in Tampa, where there is a large Italian population, but is not usually included in South Florida. The Cuban sandwich is at the center of a long-running friendly rivalry between Miami and Tampa. As part of that rivalry, the “Historic Tampa Cuban Sandwich” was designated the “signature sandwich of the city of Tampa” by the Tampa City Council in 2012. As with Cuban bread, the origin of the Cuban sandwich (sometimes called a “Cuban mix,” a “mixto,” a “Cuban pressed sandwich,” or a “Cubano”) is murky. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, travel between Cuba and Florida was easy, especially from Key West and Tampa, and Cubans frequently sailed back and forth for employment, pleasure, and family visits. Because of this constant and largely undocumented movement of people, culture and ideas, it is impossible to say exactly when or where the Cuban sandwich originated.
Connecticut – Lobster Roll
Lobster, Mayonnaise, Butter
A lobster roll is a sandwich native to New England and the Canadian Maritimes. It is made of lobster meat served on a grilled hot dog-style bun with the opening on the top rather than the side. The filling may also contain butter, lemon juice, salt and black pepper, with variants made in some parts of New England replacing the butter with mayonnaise. Other versions may contain diced celery or scallion. Potato chips or french fries are the typical sides.According to the “Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink” the lobster roll originated as a hot dish at a restaurant named Perry’s in Milford, Connecticut, as early as 1929. Its popularity then spread up and down the Connecticut coast, but not far beyond it. In Connecticut, the sandwich served warm is called a “lobster roll”; served cold, a “lobster salad roll.” As far back as 1970, chopped lobster meat heated in drawn butter was served on a hot dog bun at road side stands such as Red’s Eats in Maine. Lobster rolls in the U.S. are associated with the state of Maine, but are also commonly available at seafood restaurants in the other New England states and on Eastern Long Island, where lobster fishing is common. Lobster rolls in Maine are characteristically served on a New England-style hot dog bun, which is split on the top instead of the side and has flat sides for grilling. The lobster meat is usually served cold, rather than warm or hot, and mayonnaise is typically spread inside the bun or tossed with the meat. The filling consists of chunked knuckle, claw, and lobster tail and is only lightly seasoned if at all. Four ounces is a standard serving size.
Pennsylvania – Philly Cheesesteak
Steak, Cheese, Peppers
A cheesesteak (also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheesesteak sandwich, cheesesteak, or steak and cheese) is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular regional fast food, it has its roots in the U.S. city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The cheesesteak was developed in the early 20th century “by combining frizzled beef, onions, and cheese in a small loaf of bread”, according to a 1987 exhibition catalog published by the Library Company of Philadelphia and the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Philadelphians Pat and Harry Olivieri are often credited with inventing the sandwich by serving chopped steak on an Italian roll in the early 1930s. The exact story behind its creation is debated, but in some accounts, Pat and Harry Olivieri originally owned a hot dog stand, and on one occasion, decided to make a new sandwich using chopped beef and grilled onions. While Pat was eating the sandwich, a cab driver stopped by and was interested in it, so he requested one for himself. After eating it, the cab driver suggested that Olivieri quit making hot dogs and instead focus on the new sandwich. They began selling this variation of steak sandwiches at their hot dog stand near South Philadelphia’s Italian Market. They became so popular that Pat opened up his own restaurant which still operates today as Pat’s King of Steaks. The sandwich was originally prepared without cheese; Olivieri said provolone cheese was first added by Joe “Cocky Joe” Lorenza, a manager at the Ridge Avenue location.
Louisiana – Po’ Boy
Fried Oysters and Shrimp, Mayonnaise
A po’ boy (also PO-boy, PO boy) is a traditional sandwich from Louisiana. It almost always consists of meat, which is usually roast beef or fried seafood, often shrimp, crawfish, fish, oysters, or crab. The meat is served on New Orleans French bread, known for its crisp crust and fluffy center.I n the late 1800s fried oyster sandwiches on French loaves were known in New Orleans as “oyster loaves”, a term still in use. A sandwich containing both fried shrimp and fried oysters is often called a “peacemaker” or La Médiatrice. The origin of the name is unknown. A popular local theory claims that “po’ boy”, as specifically referring to a type of sandwich, was coined in a New Orleans restaurant owned by Benny and Clovis Martin (originally from Raceland, Louisiana), former streetcar conductors.[3] In 1929, during a four-month strike against the streetcar company, the Martin brothers served their former colleagues free sandwiches. The Martins’ restaurant workers jokingly referred to the strikers as “poor boys”, and soon the sandwiches themselves took on the name.[3] In Louisiana dialect, this is naturally shortened to “po’ boy”. One New Orleans historian finds the Martin claim suspicious for several reasons, starting with the fact that it wasn’t described by the local press until 40 years after the strike, and that prior to 1969 the story from the Martin brothers themselves was that they had created the PO-boy for farmers, dockworkers and other “poor boys” who frequented their original location near the French Market. (The Martin brothers did write a letter, reprinted in local newspapers in 1929, promising to feed the streetcar workers, but it referenced “our meal” and made no mention of sandwiches.)
California – French Dip
Beef, Pan Sauce
A French dip sandwich, also known as a beef dip, is a hot sandwich consisting of thinly sliced roast beef (or, sometimes, other meats) on a “French roll” or baguette. It is usually served plain but a variation is to top with Swiss cheese, onions, and a dipping container of beef broth produced from the cooking process (termed au jus, “with juice”). Beef stock, a light beef gravy, or beef consommé is sometimes substituted. The sandwich is an American invention, with the name seeming to refer to the style of bread, rather than any French origin. Although the sandwich is most commonly served with a cup of jus or broth on the side of the plate, into which the sandwich is dipped as it is eaten, this is not how the sandwich was served when it was invented. Two Los Angeles restaurants have claimed to be the birthplace of the French dip sandwich: Cole’s Pacific Electric Buffet and Philippe the Original. Philippe’s website describes the dish as a “specialty of the house”, and the words “Home of the Original French Dip Sandwich” are present in the restaurant’s logo. At Phillippe’s, the roll is dipped in the hot beef juices before the sandwich is assembled, and is served “wet”, while at Cole’s it is served with a side of beef juices. The sandwich can also be requested “double dipped”, where both halves of the sandwich are dipped before serving, at either establishment. Both restaurants feature their own brand of spicy mustard that is traditionally used by patrons to complement the sandwich. This controversy over who originated the sandwich remains unresolved. Both restaurants were established in 1908. However, Cole’s claims to have originated the sandwich shortly after the restaurant opened in 1908, while Philippe’s claims that owner Philippe Mathieu invented it in 1918.
Nebraska – Reuben
Corned Beef, Swiss Cheese
The Reuben sandwich is an American grilled sandwich composed of corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing, grilled between slices of rye bread. It is associated with kosher-style delicatessens, but it is not kosher, because it contains both meat and cheese. One origin story holds that Reuben Kulakofsky (his first name sometimes spelled Reubin; his last name sometimes shortened to Kay), a Jewish Lithuanian-born grocer residing in Omaha, Nebraska, was the inventor, perhaps as part of a group effort by members of Kulakofsky’s weekly poker game held in the Blackstone Hotel from around 1920 through 1935. The participants, who nicknamed themselves “the committee”, included the hotel’s owner, Charles Schimmel. The sandwich first gained local fame when Schimmel put it on the Blackstone’s lunch menu, and its fame spread when a former employee of the hotel won a national contest with the recipe. In Omaha, March 14 was proclaimed Reuben Sandwich Day. Mention is made of this sandwich in a scene within the movie Quiz Show, where Richard N. Goodwin (known as Dick) orders and eats one in a restaurant with Charles van Doren, and they discuss the sandwich’s origins. Another account holds that Reuben’s creator was Arnold Reuben, the German-Jewish owner of Reuben’s Delicatessen (1908–2001) in New York City. According to an interview with Craig Claiborne, Arnold Reuben created the “Reuben Special” around 1914.Bernard Sobel in his 1953 book, Broadway Heartbeat: Memoirs of a Press Agent states that the sandwich was an extemporaneous creation for Marjorie Rambeau inaugurated when the famed Broadway actress visited the Reuben’s Delicatessen one night when the cupboards were particularly bare. Still other versions give credit to Alfred Scheuing, a chef at Reuben’s Delicatessen, and say he created the sandwich for Reuben’s son, Arnold Jr., in the 1930s
West Virginia – Sausage Biscuit
Sausage, Egg, Cheese
In North America, a breakfast sandwich is any sandwich filled with foods associated with the breakfast meal. Breakfast sandwiches are served at fast-food restaurants (for example, the Burger King breakfast sandwiches) and delicatessens or bought as fast, ready to heat and eat sandwiches from a store. Breakfast sandwiches are commonly made at home. Different types of breakfast sandwiches include the bacon sandwich, the egg sandwich, and the sausage sandwich; or various combinations thereof, like the bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich. The breakfast sandwich is related to the breakfast roll Although the ingredients for the breakfast sandwich have been common elements of breakfast meals in the English-speaking world for centuries, it was not until the 19th century in the United States that people began regularly eating eggs, cheese, and meat in a sandwich. What would later be known as “breakfast sandwiches” became increasingly popular after the Civil War, and were a favorite food of pioneers during American westward expansion. The first known published recipe for a “breakfast sandwich” was in an 1897 American cookbook.