A sailor sandwich is a hot meat and cheese sandwich popular at Jewish delis in Richmond, Virginia, area restaurants.[1][2][3][4] Its core ingredients are hot pastrami, grilled knackwurst, melted Swiss cheese and hot mustard on rye bread.[1]
 A sailor sandwich, as served at Richmond's New York Deli | |
| Type | Jewish deli Sandwich |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Virginia |
| Created by | New York Deli, Richmond, Virginia |
| Main ingredients | Pastrami, knackwurst, Swiss cheese, hot mustard, rye bread |
Origins
editThe New York Deli, a Jewish deli founded in 1929, claims to be the originator of the sailor sandwich.[1][5] According to local legend, during World War II, Navy seamen from the University of Richmond Navy V-12 program would frequent the New York Deli and order this then-nameless sandwich. It eventually became known as a sailor sandwich, although it is uncertain who officially named the sandwich.[1][5]
Variations
editThe marine sandwich is popular around some Marine bases like MCB Quantico. It is usually served on Italian bread with knackwurst, pastrami or salami and uses Jewish-style mustard and comes with peppers. The West Coast version often includes sliced tomatoes on the side.
C.2014, Capital Ale House in Glen Allen, VA had a Sailor Sandwich on their menu. A frequent patron disliked rye bread, and requested the sandwich on the restaurant's own pretzel bread. The new variation was adopted by the establishment as the "Admiral", though never credited to its inaugural customer.
In popular culture
edit- Patricia Cornwell, whose Kay Scarpetta novels often take place in the Richmond area, included characters ordering and eating sailor sandwiches in Cause of Death[6] and Cruel and Unusual.[7]
- In Guy Fieri's book, Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip, the chapter on Virginia features Dot's Back Inn in Richmond as a place to get a sailor sandwich.[8] Dot's Back Inn and the sailor sandwich were featured in an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives filmed in 2007.[9]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^ a b c d Imajo, Anika (September 15, 2010). "Richmond's Very Own Sandwich". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ Timberlake, Deveron (25 March 2014). "The Fixer". Style Weekly. Richmond, Virginia.
Richmond aspires to be a much bigger town than it is, and food and drink culture has a lot to do with what a city is known for. I am hoping we can move away from having shrimp and grits, crab cakes and a sailor sandwich on every menu.
- ^ Paul Karns (February 2, 2015). "Most Iconic Dishes - Must-Have Richmond Food". Richmond Magazine. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
The Sailor Sandwich at Chiocca's. People may argue over which establishment serves the best sailor sandwich in Richmond, but Chiocca's and its dive-y atmosphere has to win. The Sailor, a pile of pastrami topped with grilled knackwurst, melted Swiss and deli mustard on rye, is a carnivore's dream.
- ^ Foss, Brad (August 7, 2005). "Consumers turn the heat up on cooking". Post-Tribune/AP (subscription required). Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ a b Danielle Davidson (October 19, 2010). "A Sandwich Richmond Can Call Its Own". VCU InSight. Archived from the original on February 1, 2018. Retrieved July 2, 2015.
- ^ Cornwell, Patricia (September 1, 1997). Cause of Death. Penguin Publishing Group. p. 270. ISBN 978-1-101-20563-1.
he had ordered a sailor sandwich with fries and a Pepsi"
"and then all he did was eat his sailor sandwich and then someone kills him - ^ Cornwell, Patricia (June 10, 1993). Cruel and Unusual. Simon and Schuster. p. 232. ISBN 978-0-684-19530-8.
This one's got the drinks, and in here we got two sailor sandwiches, potato salad, and pickles.
- ^ Fieri, Guy; Volkwein, Ann (October 28, 2008). Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip . . . with Recipes!. HarperCollins. p. 107. ISBN 978-0-06-172488-6.
- ^ Melissa Ruggieri (December 2, 2007). "Food Network show to feature Richmond diner". The News Virginian. Retrieved July 2, 2015.