Cuisine of Philadelphia

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The cuisine of Philadelphia was shaped largely by Philadelphia, Pennsylvania's mixture of ethnicities, available foodstuffs and history. Certain foods have become iconic to the city. Invented in Philadelphia in the 1930s, the cheesesteak is a well known Philadelphia icon and soft pretzels have become a part of Philadelphia culture. During the 18th century city taverns were major meeting places for politicians and businessmen while the 19th century saw the creation of two Philadelphia landmarks, the Reading Terminal Market and Italian Market. After a dismal restaurant scene during the 20th century, the 1970s saw a restaurant renaissance that has continued into the 21st century.

Contents 1 Innovations 2 Restaurants and markets 3 Miscellaneous 4 References

[edit] Innovations

Philadelphia's large immigrant population has contributed to a large mixture of tastes to mingle and develop. Many types of foods have been created in or near Philadelphia or have strong associations with the city. Philadelphia's most iconic food is the cheesesteak. The cheesesteak is a sandwich traditionally made with sliced beef and melted cheese on an Italian roll. In the 1930s hot dog vendors Pat Olivieri and Harry Olivieri put grilled beef on a hot dog bun and gave it to a taxi driver. After Pat and Harry had started selling the sandwich, the cheesesteak was finalized when a cook put melted cheese on the sandwich. The two major cheesesteak locations are Pat's Steaks and Geno's Steaks in South Philadelphia. Pat's Steaks was founded in 1930 by Pat Olivieri and Geno's Steaks in 1966 by Joe Vento. The two stores have since developed a rivalry about which sells the best cheesesteaks, though several other restaurants also have proponents.^[1]

The hoagie is another sandwich that is said to have been invented in Philadelphia. Declared the official sandwich of Philadelphia in 1992, the hoagie is a sandwich made of meat and cheese with lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on an Italian roll.^[2] Another Italian roll sandwich is the roast pork Italian. The sandwich consists of sliced roast pork with broccoli rabe or spinach and provolone cheese.^[3] Philadelphia Pepper Pot, a soup of tripe, meat, vegetables, is claimed to have been created during the American Revolutionary War and named after the home city of its creator.^[4]

A food associated with Philadelphia but not invented there is the soft pretzel. The soft pretzel dates back to 7th century France and was brought over to the Philadelphia area by the Pennsylvania Dutch in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. Pretzels became iconic with Philadelphia by the numerous vendors who would sell pretzels on street corners.^[1] Water or Italian ice is similarly associated with Philadelphia because of its popularity. Philadelphia's proximity and interactions with the Pennsylvania Dutch has made food such as the scrapple also associated with the city.

[edit] Restaurants and markets

In early Philadelphia history the city's eating scene was dominated by taverns. By 1752, Philadelphia had 120 licensed taverns and numerous illegal taverns. The taverns ranged for all types of people and class from illegal grogshops on the waterfront that sailors frequented to the upper class taverns that members of city government enjoyed. Taverns such as the London Coffee House, the Blue Anchor, Tun Tavern and John Biddle's Indian King were regular meeting places for the political and business leaders of the city.

Popular restaurants during the early 1800s included the United States Hotel and Parkinson's on Chestnut Street and Joseph Head Mansion's House on Spruce Street. One of the most significant restaurateurs and caterers at this time was M. Latouche. An expert in French style cuisine, his restaurant offered expensive food and choice wine. Towards the end of the 19th century the large number of Italian immigrants in South Philadelphia led to the creation of the Italian Market. The market, which runs along part of 9th Street, includes numerous types of food vendors along with other shops.^[5] Another market, the Reading Terminal Market, opened in 1892. Created to replace the markets displaced by the construction of the Reading Terminal on Market Street in Center City, Reading Terminal Market has over 80 merchants and is a popular tourist attraction. In 1902 Joseph Horn and Frank Hardart opened the first automat in the United States on Chestnut Street. The original Automat is now part of the Smithsonian Institution.^[6]

In the 1950s and 1960s, the restaurant scene was in decline. The city saw a large emigration into the suburbs, and fine dining could be found only in private clubs or dinner parties, but as the city started to rebound in the 1970s, Philadelphia saw a restaurant renaissance. In 1970 Georges Perrier founded the French restaurant Le Bec-Fin, which quickly became one of Philadelphia's most renowned. The years following saw many new fine dining spots open, including Kathleen Mulhern's The Garden in 1974, the Four Seasons' Fountain Restaurant in 1983, Judy Wicks' White Dog Café, and Susanna Foo Chinese Cuisine in 1987.^[1] Along with the up-scale restaurants numerous ethnic and fast food restaurants opened throughout the city. The 1970s also saw the rise of street vendors. The vendors, building off the well established tradition of chestnut and pretzel vendors began selling numerous merchandise including hot dogs, fresh fruit, hats and other clothing accessories. By taking up sidewalk space and possibly business, the vendors annoyed established stores which eventually led to numerous legal battles revolving ordinances restricting vendors. The issue was surrounded by race and class overtones, but vendors have since become commonplace.^[5]

Restaurants today include the Striped Bass and Deux Cheminees in Center City. Center City is also home to Douglas Rodriguez's Alma de Cuba and Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto's Morimoto restaurants. Other major dining locations include Old City and Chinatown, which has numerous Asian eateries such as the Malaysian Penang. South Philadelphia is home to Dante and Luigi's, Ralph's Italian Restartuant and Victor's Café, while University City has Sansom Row which contains the restaurants La Terrasse and Pod, among others.^[1] In September 2006 a smoking ban went into effect for Philadelphia restaurants and bars. The ban, which exempts private clubs, hotels, specialty smoking shops, and bars that serve little food and apply for a waiver, had a troubled start and wasn't enforced until January 2007.^[7] Just a month later Philadelphia City Council passed a ban on trans fat in restaurants. The first part of the ban will go into effect in September and eateries will not be able to fry food in trans fats and serve trans fat-based spreads. By September of 2008, all trans fat will be banned in food prepared in restaurants.^[8]

[edit] Miscellaneous

• Black Cherry Wishniak—Old-fashioned black-cherry soda, made with actual black-cherry flavoring. The name "wishniak," while not exclusive, is generally associated with the popular regional soft-drink brand Frank's.
• Tastykake—Since 1914, the Tasty Baking Company has provided the region with its line of pre-packaged baked goods. The best-known varieties include Krimpets (jelly-filled or butterscotch-iced), Kandy Kakes (chocolate or peanut butter enrobed cakes, formerly called Tandy Takes), Krimpies (shaped like Krimpets, but with "Kreme" filling and chocolate cake and icing), Tasty (fruit) Pies (which, unlike many competitors', are neither deep-fried nor sugar-glazed).
• Beer was brewed by the colonials in Philadelphia from its very start. Philadelphia-style porter is known throughout the world. A lager brewery was established in the Northern Liberties section in the 1840s. The beer most associated with Philadelphia today is perhaps Yuengling, brewed in nearby Pottsville, PA. At one point, the city had more than a hundred breweries, though most closed with Prohibition. Today, a handful of micro-breweries operate in and around the city, including Yards, Samuel Adams, Manayunk, Red Bell, Victory, Flying Fish, and Nodding Head (see Breweries in Philadelphia).
• German butter cake—A very rich type of pound cake with a buttery, pudding-like center. Not to be confused with the traditional butter cake or the St. Louis version.
• Tomato Pie—Essentially a cheeseless pizza two feet by three feet in size, with extra oregano. It is always prepared in a rectangular shape. Many Philadelphians recognize tomato pie but are unaware of its name.
• Cheese sauce—A gooey, orange, dairy condiment carried by many street vendors. In general, Philadelphians do not hesitate to add cheese sauce to any inexpensive food items such as french fries, hot dogs, pretzels, or egg rolls.

[edit] References