Tavern sandwich
A Maid-Rite loose meat sandwich with cheese
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|
| Origin | |
|---|---|
| Place of origin | United States |
| Region or state | Iowa |
| Creator(s) | Carroll Dietz |
| Details | |
| Type | Sandwich |
| Main ingredient(s) | Bun, ground beef, onions |
A tavern sandwich is a sandwich commonly consumed in Iowa in the United States, originally consisting of unseasoned ground beef on a bun, mixed with sauteed onions, and sometimes topped with pickles, ketchup and mustard.
History
The sandwich was created first as a "steamed hamburger" in 1920 by Carroll Dietz of Missoula, Montana, and imitated in 1934 by Abraham Kaled at Ye Olde Tavern in Sioux City, Iowa.[1] It is the latter location that gave the sandwich its name.[1] Maid-Rite began selling their version of the sandwich in 1926 under the name "loose meat," predating the name "tavern sandwich".[2] In Illinois, this sandwich is also known as a "loose hamburger sandwich".[3]
The tavern sandwich is unlike a hamburger, because a tavern's meat is cooked loose rather than formed into a compact patty.[4] It more closely resembles a sloppy joe, without the tomato sauce.[4]
The sandwich is well known throughout the Midwestern United States, and is served not only in small, local establishments but also in franchise locations such as Dairy Queen. The Wichita, Kansas-based chain Nu Way Cafe serves a version of the tavern/loose meat sandwich called a "Nu Way".[5]
Cultural references
In later seasons of the American sitcom Roseanne, Roseanne Conner (Roseanne Barr) co-owns a restaurant called the "Lanford Lunch Box" in the fictional town of Lanford, Illinois, which specializes in loose meat sandwiches.[6] The inspiration for Lunch Box was a real-life restaurant called Canteen Lunch in the Alley in Ottumwa, Iowa.[7] In 1993, Roseanne and then-husband Tom Arnold opened Roseanne and Tom's Big Food Diner (based on the fictional Lanford Lunchbox) in Eldon, Iowa (less than 20 miles southeast of Ottumwa's Canteen Lunch), also specializing in loose meat sandwiches. Iowa's loose meat sandwich figures in The Good Wife, season 7, episode 11, in which a presidential candidate completing the Full Grassley is forced to eat a loose meat sandwich at each stop.[8]
See also
References
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- Dondanville, Ruth. Nobody Cooks Like Ruth: Menus From Cherotree (Haverford, PA: Infinity Publishing), 2003. ISBN 0-7414-1418-X
- Grant, Tina & Miranda H. Ferrara. International Directory of Company Histories (Chicago: St. James Press), 2004. ISBN 1-55862-504-6
- Mariani, John F. The Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink (New York: Lebhar-Friedman), 1999. ISBN 0-86730-784-6
- Metcalf, Allan A. How We Talk: American Regional English Today (Boston: Houghton Mifflin), 2000. ISBN 0-618-04362-4
- Peterson, Eric. Ramble: A Field Guide to the U.S.A. (Denver, CO: Speck Press), 2006. ISBN 1-933108-08-8
- Smith, Vernon L. Discovery: A Memoir (Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse), 2008. ISBN 1-4343-8431-4
