Tell us the name of your sandwich, and we’ll tell you where you are from.
subs
What you call these sandwiches just may reveal your past.
No matter what’s on your sandwich, what you call it may depend on where you live. Whether it’s a sub, hoagie, grinder, or blimp, they usually have one thing in common—they are piled high with meat, cheese, fixings, and dressing.
The most widely used term for a sandwich is probably the sub. Usually between six and 10 inches long, but sometimes up to six feet, the sub is a long Italian bread roll named for its resemblance to a submarine. But if you’re from Philadelphia or South Jersey, or you frequent the convenience store chain Wawa, you may know it as a hoagie, which is also served cold and filled with Italian meats, cheeses, and other toppings. Myth has it that these sandwiches were named by Italian immigrants working at the Philadelphia Navy Yard, once known as Hog Island. These workers were known as “hoggies.”
“I’m originally from New York, and we grew up calling it a sandwich or a sub,” says David Bailey of Secret Sandwich Society in Richmond. “Philly uses grinders; a lot of other areas use hoagies. Most of our offerings are served on a toasted baguette, and we would consider that more of a sub than a sandwich.”
Bailey sums it up perfectly: “So many names, all delicious.”
