Posted on Friday, February 17, 2006 - 9:39 am:

---

Quote:

In New Jersey, however, the Sloppy Joe is something completely different. Instead of ground beef, it contains some kind of deli lunch meat, for example, turkey, ham, roast beef, or even sliced cow tongue. It is served on rye bread, often "double-decker" or "triple-decker." The sandwich is dressed with Swiss cheese, cole slaw, and Russian dressing, similar to a reuben sandwich.

One theory of the beginnings of this sandwich is that it originated at Sloppy Joe 's Bar in Havanna. The New Jersey version, however, first appeared on the menu of the Town Hall Deli in South Orange, New Jersey in 1936. To this day, that version, called the Original Sloppy Joe, is a triple-decker sandwich with layers of ham, tongue, and Swiss cheese, with Russian dressing served on long, thin slices of buttered rye and cut into quarters. Another version is made with smoked salmon, creamed cheese and egg salad. Yet others include corned beef.

Some further evidence of the Cuban connection is seen in a sandwich served in the West Village of New York City. It is essentially a Cuban ropa vieja sandwich, which is based on a marinated pulled skirt steak that is then stewed in a combination of tomato sauce with garlic, cumin, tomatoes, peppers and chilies. This particular iteration is then served on a steam-oven bun.

The New Jersey version of the sandwich, legend has it, was brought back to the states by a mayor of Maplewood, New Jersey in 1934 or 1935. Of course, given all the versions of the sandwich, there are many explanations for its invention and name. Some hold that it originated in Sloppy Joe's bar in Cuba. Others attribute it to Sloppy Joe's in Key Wes, Florida - a favorite hangout of Earnest Hemmingway - which is responsible for the first appearance of the name in print. Still another attributes the ground-meat form of the sandwich to a diner in Iowa, or to the depression-era habit of making almost anything out of hamburger.

---