It’s Uncle Sam(wich) week here at Sporked! All week long, we’re celebrating Independence Day by highlighting the best regional sandwiches and all the ingredients you need to make them at home. For more tasty sandwich fixins, see the full collection of rankings, product recommendations, and more.
What do you call a long sandwich filled with deli meat, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, and dressing called? To me, there’s only one name: hoagie. But I recognize that hoagie is a hyper-specific name from the Philadelphia area. Depending what part of the country you’re from, you may call it something else. While I most commonly see either hero or sub or submarine sandwich in other places, perhaps my second favorite name for this classic sandwich is grinder; it reminds me of the Judas Priest song of the same name. Where my metalheads at?! Anyway, did Rob Halford come up with the grinder name, or is it something else? What is a grinder? Let’s get into it.
What is a grinder sandwich?
When I was growing up in Philadelphia, I knew a grinder as basically a hot hoagie, meaning that it was put in the oven to get all toasty and warm. So, you could order an Italian hoagie (cold) or an Italian grinder (hot). And it is extremely important to distinguish that a cheesesteak is NOT a grinder; it’s in a category all its own.
But, apparently, the word grinder is the commonly used name for a sub sandwich in New England. From my understanding, it doesn’t matter if the sandwich is hot or cold. New Englanders, please chime in: Is the grinder a blanket term for all hoagies or do you also distinguish based on temperature?
What’s in a grinder sandwich?
When it comes to grinders (or hoagies, or subs, or whatever you call them), it really is eater’s choice. The one constant in all these sandwich types is the roll: long, hard, chewy on the outside, and soft in the middle.
Perhaps the most quintessential grinder is the Italian. People may quibble about what goes on one, but here’s a recipe from a certified sandwich expert (me): capicola, prosciutto, genoa salami, shredded lettuce, sliced tomato and onion, salt, pepper, oregano, olive oil, and red vinegar. I, personally, like to add sweet peppers or, if I’m feeling spicy, some cherry pepper relish. Pro tip: NEVER put mayo on an Italian grinder, hot or cold.
You could also have a turkey grinder, a chicken salad grinder, a roast beef grinder, and so on and so forth. My opinion: Don’t let semantics bog down your sandwich experience. We only get to eat so many of them before we toss off this mortal coil, so make every one of them count.
Why is it called a grinder sandwich?
There are two theories about the inception of the grinder name. The first is that it was some sort of Italian American slang used by New England dock workers to describe their preferred sandwich. The second theory is that, due to the hard, crusty bread of the roll, you had to literally “grind” your teeth to get through it.
What is grinder sandwich sauce?
Apparently, there’s a viral version of the Italian grinder floating around on TikTok that involves a specific grinder sauce. People mix the shredded lettuce and sliced onions with some variation of mayonnaise, olive oil, red vinegar, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning or Italian salad dressing, crushed red pepper, and chopped banana peppers. The resulting salad is then spread on the grinder after toasting.
Personally, I don’t need to go to all that trouble and I definitely don’t need the mayo on my Italian sandwich. It just feels wrong. But, as I said before, the best sandwich you can eat is the one you’re making for yourself right now. So follow your heart.
ncG1vNJzZmiroKS%2FrLHDZ5qopV%2BWv7W1wqWcaK%2BYlsFutdJmmGafop67pbHRaA%3D%3D