—————————————————— The (Un)United States of Sandwiches: What Do You Call a Sub? | Eating Our Words | Houston | Houston Press | The Leading Independent News Source in Houston, Texas

Food Nation

The (Un)United States of Sandwiches: What Do You Call a Sub?

I grew up calling any sandwich on long French or Italian bread a sub, like any normal human being would. Or so I thought, until I realized my aunt called it a grinder...and my friend called it a hoagie. WTF.

This is three people, from three states (New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania), calling the same sandwich by three different names. Since it really is a regional thing (with most of the variations stemming from crazy Italian-Americans in the Northeast like myself), I decided to take a closer look at who calls what where and if there's even a reason why.

And now I'm exhausted, but here we go:

Submarine (Sub)

What: A large sandwich consisting of a long roll split lengthwise and filled with layers of meat, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, and condiments. from The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language (4th edition, 2000) Where: Widespread with a large cluster of usage in the Northeast: Connecticut; Delaware; New Jersey; New York; Massachusetts. Why: There are a few theories, but most agree the sandwich was named after the submarine shape of the bread. According to the book What They Never Told You About Boston (or What They Did That Were Lies), the term was said to have originated at a sandwich shop in Boston where the bread was baked in the shape of a submarine and served to the large number of nearby Navy servicemen. Another theory suggests an Italian immigrant in New York started selling subs at his grocery store after seeing a recovered submarine at a museum in Patterson, New Jersey.

Hoagie

What: Regional variation of sub. Where: Delaware Valley; Philadelphia; South Jersey; Baltimore, Maryland Why: Again, there are a number of theories, the most common of which is based around a shipyard on Hog's Island, Pennsylvania. The workers, called hoggies, would bring large sandwiches to work. Another legend claims that a restaurateur coined the term, aptly named for the fact that you had to be a hog to eat one.

Hero

What: Regional variation of sub. Where: New York; Northern New Jersey Why: Theories suggest it could have been named after the sandwich's large size, meaning only a hero could finish it. Other claims have been made that it derives from the Greek sandwich called a gyro. New Yorkers unfamiliar with the term started calling the sandwich a hero.

Grinder

What: Regional variation of sub, sometimes used to describe hot subs. Where: Most of New England with the exception of Boston; the Midwest; Sacramento, California. Why: Likely derived from the grinding of teeth that is required to eat the chewy sandwich.

Torpedo

What: Regional variation of sub. Where: New York; New Jersey; other areas Why: Like a submarine, it is based on the torpedo shape of the bread.

KEEP THE HOUSTON PRESS FREE... Since we started the Houston Press, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Houston, and we'd like to keep it that way. With local media under siege, it's more important than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" program, allowing us to keep offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food and culture with no paywalls.
Brooke Viggiano is a contributing writer who is always looking to share Houston's coolest and tastiest happenings with the Houston Press readers.
Contact: Brooke Viggiano