A sailor sandwich is a hot meat and cheese sandwich popular at

Jewish deli A Jewish deli, also known as a Jewish delicatessen, is a delicatessen establishment that serves various traditional dishes in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, and are typically known for their sandwiches such as pastrami on rye, as well as their soups ...

s in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

, area restaurants. Its core ingredients are hot

pastrami Pastrami (Romanian: '' pastramă'') is a food originating from Romania usually made from beef brisket, lamb, pork, chicken sometimes from turkey. The raw meat is brined, partially dried, seasoned with herbs and spices, then smoked and steamed. ...

, grilled

knackwurst Knackwurst () (in North America sometimes spelled knockwurst () refers to a type of sausage of northern German origin from the mid-16th century. The many available varieties depend on the geographical region of their production. Etymology and ...

, melted

Swiss cheese Swiss cheese may refer to: Cheese * List of Swiss cheeses (from Switzerland) * Swiss-type cheeses or Alpine cheeses, a class of cooked pressed cheeses now made in many countries * Swiss cheese (North America), any of several related varieties o ...

and

hot mustard Mustard is a condiment made from the seeds of a mustard plant (white/yellow mustard, '' Sinapis alba''; brown mustard, ''Brassica juncea''; or black mustard, ''Brassica nigra''). The whole, ground, cracked, or bruised mustard seeds are mixed wi ...

rye bread Rye bread is a type of bread made with various proportions of flour from rye grain. It can be light or dark in color, depending on the type of flour used and the addition of coloring agents, and is typically denser than bread made from wheat f ...

Origins

The New York Deli, a

founded in 1929, claims to be the originator of the sailor sandwich. According to local legend, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Navy seamen from the University of Richmond Navy V-12 program would frequent the New York Deli and order this then-nameless sandwich. It eventually became known as a sailor sandwich, although it is uncertain who officially named the sandwich.

Variations

The ''marine sandwich'' is popular around some Marine bases like

MCB Quantico Marine Corps Base Quantico (commonly abbreviated MCB Quantico) is a United States Marine Corps installation located near Triangle, Virginia, covering nearly of southern Prince William County, Virginia, northern Stafford County, and southeaster ...

. It is usually served on

Italian bread This is a list of Italian dishes and foods. Italian cuisine has developed through centuries of social and political changes, with roots as far back as the 4th century BC. Italian cuisine has its origins in Etruscan, ancient Greek, and ancie ...

with knackwurst, pastrami or

salami Salami ( ) is a cured sausage consisting of fermented and air-dried meat, typically pork. Historically, salami was popular among Southern, Eastern, and Central European peasants because it can be stored at room temperature for up to 45 days ...

and uses Jewish-style

mustard Mustard may refer to: Food and plants * Mustard (condiment), a paste or sauce made from mustard seeds used as a condiment * Mustard plant, one of several plants, having seeds that are used for the condiment ** Mustard seed, seeds of the mustard p ...

and comes with

pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...

s. The

West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to: Geography Australia * Western Australia *Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia * West Coast, Tasmania **West Coast Range, mountain range in the region Canada * Britis ...

version often includes sliced tomatoes on the side.
C.2014, Capital Ale House in Glen Allen, VA had a Sailor Sandwich on their menu. A frequent patron disliked rye bread, and requested the sandwich on the restaurant's own pretzel bread. The new variation was adopted by the establishment as the "Admiral", though never credited to its inaugural customer.

In popular culture

Patricia Cornwell Patricia Cornwell (born Patricia Carroll Daniels; June 9, 1956) is an American crime writer. She is known for her best-selling novels featuring medical examiner Kay Scarpetta, of which the first was inspired by a series of sensational murders in ...

, whose Kay Scarpetta novels often take place in the Richmond area, included characters ordering and eating sailor sandwiches in ''

Cause of Death In law, medicine, and statistics, cause of death is an official determination of conditions resulting in a human's death, which may be recorded on a death certificate. A cause of death is determined by a medical examiner. The cause of death is ...

'' and '' Cruel and Unusual''. * In

Guy Fieri Guy Ramsay Fieri (, ; ''né'' Ferry; born January 22, 1968) is an American restaurateur, author, and an Emmy Award winning television presenter. He co-owns three restaurants in California, licenses his name to restaurants in New York City, Las ...

's book, ''Diners, Drive-ins and Dives: An All-American Road Trip'', the chapter on Virginia features Dot's Back Inn in Richmond as a place to get a sailor sandwich. Dot's Back Inn and the sailor sandwich were featured in an episode of ''

Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives ''Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives'' (often nicknamed ''Triple D'' and stylized as ''Diners, Drive-Ins, Dives'') is an American food reality television series that premiered on April 23, 2007, on the Food Network. It is hosted by Guy Fieri. The show o ...

'' filmed in 2007.

References

{{Sandwiches American sandwiches Jewish American cuisine Cheese sandwiches Jewish cuisine Richmond, Virginia Rye-based dishes

Origins

Variations

In popular culture

See also

References