Hoagie
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The hoagie is a type of submarine sandwich. It generally consists of an elongated roll (called a "hoagie roll", similar to a baguette), oil, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, sweet or hot peppers, oregano, mayonnaise and a selection of cold luncheon meats. In many areas the default cheese on a hoagie is Provolone, while in others it is white American cheese. Cheese-only hoagies (Provolone, American, or Mixed) replace the meat with extra slices of cheese.
Contents |
[edit] Origin
The traditional story of the origin of the hoagie is that, during World War I, a shipyard located on Hog Island in the Delaware River south of Philadelphia employed many Italian immigrants as shipbuilders; their wives would pack them large sandwiches packed with various meats and cheeses, and the "hoggie" or "hoagie" was born. A Delco Times article, however, claims that it was actually a product of nearby Chester, Pennsylvania.
[edit] Regionalism
While hoagies vary from shop to shop in Philadelphia, their aroma is ubiquitous across the area and distinct from hoagies across the nation.
On the East Coast around New York City, the term wedge has also been used for this sandwich, and it is cut through the edge lengthwise, not the top like some hot dog buns.
In central Pennsylvania, a hoagie is often called a sub (or submarine sandwich) and a hoagie is more specifically called an Italian Hoagie. There are many sub shops in Williamsport that specialize in hoagies and cosmos (hoagies toasted in an oven) and then sell them to the hungry industrial workers of the West Branch Valley of the Susquehanna River.
Throughout most of Western Pennsylvania and much of Eastern Ohio[citation needed], the term hoagie is used to describe any type of toasted sandwich that is served on a long roll, not just one prepared in the specific manner stated above. This usage is considered a standard feature of Pittsburgh English.
[edit] Varieties
- American—typically includes ham and white American cheese, often bologna, cooked salami and others
- Italian—typically includes hard or Genoa salami, pepperoni, cappicola, and provolone cheese
- Ham and Cheese—hot or cold with provolone cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, mayonnaise or oil, hot peppers and ground pepper
- Tuna—either tuna salad or (especially in more ethnically Italian shops) Italian (canned) tuna in olive oil
- Chicken salad
- Chicken—as lunchmeat, grilled meat, or cutlet
- Roast beef
- Roast pork—hot or cold
- Turkey—hot or cold with provolone cheese
- Cheese—white American or provolone or both (mixed), sometimes also Swiss cheese
- Cheesesteak hoagie—a marriage with the cheesesteak sandwich
- Veggie—usually grilled vegetables, such as peppers, mushrooms, and broccoli rabe; some shops even offer vegan hoagies, with no meat or dairy products
- Meatball—meatballs in marinara sauce often with green peppers and onions and covered with mozzarella or provolone cheese
- Nigerian—roast beef and turkey
Condiments include lettuce, tomato, onion, with optional dill pickles and hot or sweet pepper rings or hot pepper seed. Condiments can include salt, pepper, oregano or Italian seasoning, oil, vinegar, mustard, and mayonnaise.
Most shops offer single-meat hoagies (for example, ham or salami hoagies) as well as premium hoagies with upscale ingredients: prosciutto, imported Italian lunchmeats (coteghino, mortadella, sopressata, etc.). A popular variant is the grinder or cosmo, which is essentially a hoagie that has been toasted under a broiler.
[edit] In popular culture
- The hoagie was a favorite of Bill Cosby's character Heathcliff "Cliff" Huxtable in The Cosby Show.
- Don Vito of MTV's Viva La Bam loves hoagies. He is always seen throughout the show eating them.
- On The Simpsons, Homer Simpson's dream was to eat the world's largest hoagie.
- In the Scrubs episode "My Sex Buddy", J.D. offered to buy Turk's friend Richard a hoagie and replacement basketball when he kicked the ball away.
- In the computer game Day of the Tentacle, "Hoagie" is the name of one of the protagonists (incidentally there's also a joke about him being named after a sandwich).
- On the Adult Swim TV show Tom Goes to the Mayor, Tom sells hoagies to support a charity for glass eyes. The mayor pronounces hoagies incorrectly as "hoogies".
- On Codename: Kids Next Door, Hoagie is the first name of protagonists.
[edit] Trivia
May 5 is National Hoagie Day.
