You can make Philly Cheesesteak at home....but you have to kill someone to get ahold of that bread.
Posted on 03/24/2021 6:42:22 AM PDT by mylife
National Cheesesteak Day on March 24 celebrates an American classic - the cheesesteak sandwich. Born in Philadelphia, the sandwich, which is also known as a Philly cheesesteak, is made with melted cheese over sliced pieces of beefsteak inside a long hoagie roll. A delicious and indulgent American delicacy, the cheesesteak has risen from its humble beginnings to cultural icon status, and many people are very passionate about their opinion of where you can get the best cheesesteak sandwich.
History of National Cheesesteak Day Unfortunately, as it happens with many food holidays, the origins and founder of National Cheesesteak Day are unknown. It could have been created by a cheesesteak fanatic, or by a restaurant wanting to promote their cheesesteak offers, perhaps we will never know.
And similarly to its celebratory day, the origins of the cheesesteak sandwich are not unknown, but they are very much debated. It seems no one can agree just how this American classic was invented.
The most popular theory, supported by Philadelphia's tourism website, is that two hot dog vendors from Philly, Pat, and Harry Olivieri, created the cheesesteak in the 1930s. One day, Pat and Harry decided to make a sandwich using grilled sliced beef and onions (the original version did not have cheese), when a taxi driver stopped by their hot dog stand and asked to try it. The man suggested that Pat and Harry should stop selling hot dogs and start selling this steak sandwich. And they did! The steak sandwiches became so popular that Pat eventually opened Pat's King of Steaks, a restaurant that is still open today.
Soon, other restaurants picked up on this delicacy and began selling their own variations of the cheesesteak sandwich. A man named Joe "Cocky Joe" Lorenza, an employee of Pat's, is credited with being the first person to add provolone cheese to the cheesesteak sandwich.
You can now eat cheesesteak in family-owned businesses, street food trucks, fast food chains, and even high-end restaurants. It has really become a Philadelphian institution, so divisive that you can even rival cheesesteak restaurants in Philly, and most people in Philly have a very strong opinion of where you can find the best cheesesteak.
How to Celebrate National Cheesesteak Day This seems like an obvious one. The only way to really pay tribute to this American classic is by eating a cheesesteak today.
Many restaurants offer National Cheesesteak Day deals on March 24, so you can enjoy this iconic sandwich at a discounted price (perhaps even go all out and eat two? It is a special day after all.) It's even better if you're lucky enough to live in Philadelphia, but even if you don't it is likely that some restaurants around you serve cheesesteaks.
Are you a cheesesteak aficionado? Then, if you have the opportunity, why not travel to where it all started? Visit Philadelphia and do a tour of all the cheesesteak restaurants to decide once and for all which one serves the best sandwich.
If you love cooking then roll up your sleeves and craft your own attempt at making a delicious cheesesteak sandwich. Invite some friends over and make a big occasion of National Cheesesteak Day.
You can make Philly Cheesesteak at home....but you have to kill someone to get ahold of that bread.
*** Philly Metro Ping ***
The place I used to frequent had the bread flown in daily from Philly.
Wow.......talk about authenticity.
The bread is a key factor.
So are onions in sauce.
Whenever I am out of town or out of the country for and extended period of time and I fly out of Philly I always hit an authentic cheesesteak joint on the drive home
I’ve been eating cheese steaks for sixty years. I worked in the “Northern Liberties” section of philly every summer in the late seventies. There were dozens of sandwich shops, and every one of them had glorious steaks (and hoagies).
Only queers and tourists put cheese whiz or american cheese on a cheese steak.
The onions and other toppings have to be grilled with the meat, not thrown on afterwards.
A cheese steak is not sloppy. You can eat it with one hand, without anything falling out.
The steaks and hoagies they sell today are a mess, don’t taste good, and are way over priced.
The one glue of all cheese steaks is the hoagie roll. There is only one bakery in Philadelphia that makes the correct roll. It is such an important part of any cheese steak or hoagie that people go out of their way to get them. I presently live some 100 miles from a Philadelphia. There is a cheese steak joint (I wouldn't call it a restaurant. It's a "joint".) nearby that sends a guy to Lancaster every morning to get hoagie rolls from a guy that goes into Philadelphia every morning to get hoagie rolls from Amorosos. Foodies today would call it artisan, but it is just the right roll. Nothing fancy.
Growing up, my neighborhood deli sold loose hoagie rolls; as in open air bins. I haven't been back in years. I doubt if that is the case today. Everything is hermetically sealed today and heaven forbid if people's bare hands touch food.
The deli also had hanging meats in the open air and a huge pickle barrel. When you walked-in your nostrils will filled with all kinds of great smells. There was always a pot of gravy (spaghetti sauce) and meat balls that added to the smells. The entire length of the deli was one big counter where the entire family make hoagies. There was none of that premeasured cheap lunch meat that you find at Subway. Every hoagie had its meats and cheeses sliced as the hoagie was assembled. Behind the deli counter there was the flattop where they made cheese steaks. The flat top had mounds of meat and onions on it as the ready to make cheese steak. Next to the flattop was a stove with the pot of gravy and a pot of soup. The deli also had a small grocery section from where I don't think anyone ever bought anything. Many neighborhoods had a deli just like that. It was typical. It was normal and no one thought it was special. Today, I understand people buy hoagies from Wawa and they supposedly good. There are no Wawa's close to where I live not, but I have to chuckle at the idea of buying a hoagie from a convenience store. It is missing the atmosphere and the aromas that are required for a real hoagie.
Please excuse my nostalgia. It was a trip down memory lane.
a cheesesteak tastes better with a real cheese made from real milk like provolone than it is with chemicals and salt like Wiz
I agree 100%
It’s Whats for Dinner!
No, that was cool. Here in Colorado, there’s a place called Taste of Philly. Never been there.
We are making them at Home, Leftover Brisket smoked last Sunday, We went to Jim’s, They were really good!
he one glue of all cheese steaks is the hoagie roll. There is only one bakery in Philadelphia that makes the correct roll. It is such an important part of any cheese steak or hoagie that people go out of their way to get them. I presently live some 100 miles from a Philadelphia. There is a cheese steak joint (I wouldn’t call it a restaurant. It’s a “joint”.) nearby that sends a guy to Lancaster every morning to get hoagie rolls from a guy that goes into Philadelphia every morning to get hoagie rolls from Amorosos. Foodies today would call it artisan, but it is just the right roll. Nothing fancy.
Yessir...
I prefer provalone but could go with just about any cheese. Sometimes I just need the whiz...but not that crap from velveeta.
Povalone with!
WIZ with!
Then Ketchup and hot sauce applied.
Most places in Philly are great, but Delassandros might be the tops.
For a moment I thought this read “National Cheesecake Day”.
Somehow, I’m slightly disappointed.
But not as disappointed as I was with the “Cheese Whiz” style of cheesesteak sammich. Sometimes ‘authentic’ isn’t better.
Yer a weird little monkey, but it’s your sangwich ;)
Folks in Tx put BBQ sauce on perfectly authentic Philly cheese steaks.
Heck I dont but it on BBQ.
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