Eponymous Foods – Sandwiches Edition
Stuff You Missed in History Class
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The Origins of Sloppy Joe
This chapter unravels the disputed history of the sloppy joe sandwich, from its humble beginnings in the 1930s US to a bar in Havana, Cuba, eventually finding popularity in Sioux City, Iowa. It delves into the various recipes and the commercialization of canned sloppy Joe sauces after World War II.
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Transcript
Transcript
Episode notes
Sloppy Joe, Hot Brown, and the Reuben are all well-known sandwiches, and they are all named after people. Though the specific person is argued in two of these cases.
Research:
- “Bechamel.” Oxford Reference. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095454669
- “Bechamel Sauce.” ChefIn. https://chefin.com.au/dictionary/bechamel-sauce/#:~:text=History%20of%20b%C3%A9chamel%20sauce,(wife%20of%20Henry%20II).
- Beck, Katherine. “The Controversial Origins Of The Sloppy Joe.” Tasting Table. Jan. 26, 2023. https://www.tastingtable.com/968736/the-controversial-origins-of-the-sloppy-joe/
- Blitz, Matt. “The True Story of Ernest Hemingway’s Favorite Bar. Food & Wine. June 22, 2017. https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/bars/ernest-hemingway-favorite-bar-true-story
- Fix, John. “Papa Wrote Here.” The Miami News. May 12, 1962. https://www.newspapers.com/image/302005791/?terms=sloppy%20joe&match=1
- “Hot Brown Sandwich History and Recipe.” What’s Cooking America. https://whatscookingamerica.net/history/sandwiches/hotbrownsandwich.htm
- “The Brown Hotel.” Historic Hotels of America. https://www.historichotels.org/us/hotels-resorts/the-brown-hotel/history.php#:~:text=In%20the%20early%201980s%2C%20the,obtained%20the%20building%20in%202006.
- “J. Graham Brown.” The Courier-Journal. August 8, 1927. https://www.newspapers.com/image/107676260/?terms=%22james%20graham%20brown%22&match=1
- Kral, George. “How the Gooey, Cheesy Hot Brown Became a Kentucky Icon.” Eater. Jan. 3, 2019. https://www.eater.com/2019/1/3/18165719/kentucky-hot-brown-history-recipe-brown-hotel-louisville
- “LOUISVILLE’S CULINARY ICON, THE HOT BROWN.” The Brown Hotel. https://www.brownhotel.com/dining/hot-brown
- Manoff, Arnold. “Reuben and His Restaurant: The Lore of a Sandwich.” Federal Writers Project. 1938. https://www.loc.gov/item/wpalh001447/
- Martinelli, Katherine. “True to Its Design, the Origin of the Reuben Sandwich Is Messy, Too.” Eat This, Not That! January 16, 2019. https://www.eatthis.com/reuben-sandwich-origin/
- Matte, Lisa Curran. “The Hotly Contested Origin Of The Reuben Sandwich.” Tasting Table. Nov. 13, 2022. https://www.tastingtable.com/1095929/the-hotly-contested-origin-of-the-reuben-sandwich
- Monaco, Emily. “The Untold Truth of Sloppy Joes.” Mashed. March 28, 2023. https://www.mashed.com/270915/the-untold-truth-of-sloppy-joes/
- “National Sloppy Joe Day.” National Day Calendar. https://www.nationaldaycalendar.com/national-day/national-sloppy-joe-day-march-18
- Ngo, Hope. “What Is Béchamel Sauce And What Is It Used For?” Mashed. June 2, 2021. https://www.mashed.com/413609/what-is-bechamel-sauce-and-what-is-it-used-for/
- “Pizza Sauce Brings Italian Food to Your Table.” The Sacramento Bee. Dec. 16, 1970. https://www.newspapers.com/image/619758051/?terms=sloppy%20joe&match=1
- “Philanthropist J. Graham Brown Dies.” The Courier-Journal. March 31, 1969. https://www.newspapers.com/image/109504942/?terms=%22james%20graham%20brown%22&match=1
- Ramsey, Sarah. “The History of the Kentucky Hot Brown Sandwich.” Wide Open Country. July 19, 2019. https://www.wideopencountry.com/the-history-of-the-kentucky-hot-brown-sandwich/
- Ramsey, Sarah “Where did the Sloppy Joe come from?” Wide Open Country. May 19, 2020. https://www.wideopencountry.com/sloppy-joe/
- Scotti, Ippolita Douglas. “Was bechamelle really French, or an ancient Florentine sauce?” Flapper Press. March 6, 2019. https://www.flapperpress.com/post/was-bechamelle-really-french-or-an-ancient-florentine-sauce
- Senyei, Kelly. “Inside the Home of the Hot Brown Sandwich.” Epicurious. April 4, 2013. https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/hot-brown-sandwich-tips
- Singer, Phyllis. “Sloppy joes have chapter in food history.” The Courier. June 19, 1992. https://www.newspapers.com/image/359626043/?terms=sloppy%20joe&match=1
- “Sloppy Joe’s Cocktails Manual.” 1932. Havana, Cuba. Accessed online: https://euvs-vintage-cocktail-books.cld.bz/1932-Sloppy-Joe-s/II
- “Sloppy Joe History: The Origins of this Iconic Comfort Food.” Blue Apron. https://blog.blueapron.com/a-history-of-the-sloppy-jo/#:~:text=The%20Sloppy%20Joe's%20history%2C%20however,and%20the%20sandwich's%20official%20name.
- Taliaferro, Georgianna. “Sloppy Joe’s: From Behind the Bar.” The Virginian-Pilot. March 12, 1950. https://www.newspapers.com/image/845602519/?terms=sloppy%20joe&match=1
- Town Hall Delicatessen. https://townhalldeli.com/
- Valdes, Rosa Tania. “Once Havana's most famous bar, Sloppy Joe's reopens after 50 years.” Reuters. April 12, 2013. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cuba-sloppyjoes-idUSBRE93B18620130412/
- “Was the Reuben Sandwich invented in Omaha?” History Nebraska. https://history.nebraska.gov/was-the-reuben-sandwich-invented-in-omaha/
- Weil, Elizabeth. “My Grandfather Invented the Reuben Sandwich. Right?” New York Times. June 7, 2013. https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/09/magazine/my-grandfather-invented-the-reuben-sandwich-right.html
- Weil, Elizabeth. “Who really invented the Reuben?” Saveur. Sept. 6, 2016. https://www.saveur.com/reuben-sandwich-origin-history/
- Wenz, Rod. “Louisville, State to Reap Benefits of Brown Legacy.” The Courier-Journal. April 10, 1969. https://www.newspapers.com/image/109539070/?terms=%22james%20graham%20brown%22&match=1
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