The chopped cheese, also known as the chop cheese,
is a type of
sandwich
A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...
originating from New York City. Found in
bodegas throughout Upper Manhattan, the Bronx, and Queens
it is made on a grill with
ground beef
Ground beef, minced beef or beef mince is beef that has been finely chopped with a knife, meat grinder (American English), mincer or mincing machine (British English). It is used in many recipes including hamburgers, bolognese sauce, meatloaf, ...
, onions, and mixed in melted cheese and served with lettuce, tomatoes, and condiments on a
hero roll.
It is compared with the
cheesesteak
A cheesesteak (also known as a Philadelphia cheesesteak, Philly cheesesteak, cheesesteak sandwich, cheese steak, or steak and cheese) is a sandwich made from thinly sliced pieces of beefsteak and melted cheese in a long hoagie roll. A popular ...
,
cheeseburger
A cheeseburger is a hamburger topped with cheese. Traditionally, the slice of cheese is placed on top of the meat patty. The cheese is usually added to the cooking hamburger patty shortly before serving, which allows the cheese to melt. Chees ...
, and a cheese
sloppy joe
A sloppy joe is a sandwich consisting of ground beef, onions, tomato sauce or ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, and other seasonings, served on a hamburger bun. There are several theories about the sandwich's origin.
History
Early and mid-20th ...
, often thought of as a mixture of all three.
Origin
Though the chopped cheese sandwich gained significant media attention around 2018, the actual origins of the sandwich are up for debate. There is speculation that the sandwich was an adaptation of an Arabic specialty, (), which is essentially cooked chopped meat and vegetables served with Yemeni bread.
Some have argued that it is a century-old recipe that has been "Columbused",
while some think it is a more recent creation.
In popular culture
The chopped cheese has also made its way into hip hop culture, being featured in or the subject of many songs. Harlem rapper
Cam'ron filmed his music video "Child of the Ghetto" at Hajji's Deli, which is largely considered the origin of chopped cheeses in NYC.
The sandwich has also been the topic of a documentary from website ''
First We Feast
First We Feast is an online food-culture magazine and YouTube channel. The site co-produces the YouTube series ''Hot Ones'' with Complex Media, its parent company.
Description
First We Feast began in 2012 as a food culture blog edited by Chris S ...
''. The documentary ''Hometown Hero: The Legend of New York's Chopped Cheese'' discusses the origins of the sandwich and its cultural history. In the documentary, the sandwich is referred to as being legendary, and "Harlem's favorite".
See also
*
List of American sandwiches
This is a list of American sandwiches. This list contains entries of sandwiches that were created in, or ''commonly'' eaten in the United States. A sandwich is a food item consisting of one or more types of food placed on or between slices of brea ...
*
List of sandwiches
A ''list'' is any set of items in a row. List or lists may also refer to:
People
* List (surname)
Organizations
* List College, an undergraduate division of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America
* SC Germania List, German rugby unio ...
References
External links
First We Feast documentary
{{Sandwiches
American sandwiches
Cheese sandwiches
Cuisine of New York (state)
Cuisine of New York City
Beef sandwiches