Name: Italian Sandwich review by hurkanakbiyik at Mercato Tomato, Haarlem, Netherlands
Item: Italian Sandwich
Rating: 3.8
Author: hurkanakbiyik

United States

A long roll split and layered with Italian-American cold cuts, provolone, shredded lettuce, tomato, onion, pickled peppers and a dressing of oil, vinegar and oregano: the Italian sandwich is what the East Coast of the United States built when immigrants from Campania and Sicily met the soft bread of American bakeries. The name changes every hundred miles. Philadelphia calls it a hoagie, New York and New Jersey a hero or a sub, New England a grinder, New Orleans a po' boy when it is on French bread, and in Maine the Italian is a specific thing invented in Portland around 1900, with ham, American cheese, tomato, green pepper, onion, olives and pickles on a soft roll. Delicatessens from Boston to Baltimore have their own house version, and the meats, the order of the layers and the amount of dressing are matters of local pride.

The bread is half the sandwich. It should be a long roll with a thin, crackly crust and a soft interior, fresh that morning, split lengthways but not all the way through so it hinges; the Philadelphia rolls from Amoroso's and Sarcone's are the model. The meats are sliced thin, to order, and layered rather than piled: Genoa salami, capicola, mortadella and prosciutto cotto or boiled ham are the classic set, with soppressata or pepperoni for a spicier one, and sharp provolone over them. The vegetables go on top of the meat, shredded iceberg, sliced tomato, thin onion, hot or sweet pickled peppers, and the whole thing is dressed with olive oil, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, salt and pepper; mayonnaise is an option in some cities and a crime in others. The roll is pressed closed, cut in half, and wrapped tight in paper so it compresses for ten minutes before it is eaten.

Judge a good one by the first bite: bread that gives and crackles, then a clear layer of meat with the fat and spice of salami and capicola, the tang of provolone, cold crunchy lettuce and the sharpness of vinegar and oregano. The ratio matters more than the quantity, and the sandwich should hold together to the end. Mark down a stale or doughy roll, a soggy bottom from tomato or dressing applied too early, meat that is pre-sliced and dry at the edges, a single meat where three are expected, mild provolone, lettuce that has wilted and a dressing so heavy that it drips. A sandwich that has sat wrapped for an hour is a different, soggier object. A hot version with the meats melted is legitimate but should be judged as its own thing.

Italian Sandwich

Netherlands

Mercato Tomato

Pek bir numarası yok malesef. Amsterdaki zero zero ile kapışamaz. Sert bir ekmek, tuzlu bir ekmek, sos çok yoğun içindeki peyniri ve eti bastırmış.

Şefe tavsiyem şu ekmeği yumuşatın ki ısırarak yiyebilelim. Bu kadar çıtır olmasına gerek yok. Kaliteli içerik ama ekmek zayıf.

Italian Sandwich review by hurkanakbiyik at Mercato Tomato, Haarlem, Netherlands

Italian Sandwich

Mercato Tomato

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