Hoagie

A long Italian roll with a thin crackly crust, split and layered cold with sliced meats, provolone, shredded lettuce, tomato and onion, dressed with oil, vinegar and oregano, and never heated: the hoagie is Philadelphia's sandwich, and the city regards the word, the roll and the order of assembly as its own. The name is usually traced to Hog Island, the shipyard on the Delaware where Italian workers ate these sandwiches during the First World War, though competing stories involve a jazz musician and a street vendor, and none is settled. The city council named it Philadelphia's official sandwich in 1992. The classic Italian hoagie carries Genoa salami, capicola, prosciutto or ham and sharp provolone; the roast pork, turkey and tuna hoagies follow the same build. A cheesesteak on the same roll is a separate dish, hot and griddled.