This New England City Might Be The Home Of The Original Italian Sub
When it comes to Italian-American food, New England is never mistaken for New York's Little Italy. Yet, Portland, Maine, might just be the home of the original Italian sub. The key word here is "might," because it really depends on how you define an Italian sub. First of all, there are a lot of types of Italian sandwiches, and this precursor from Portland isn't called a sub at all, but rather an Italian sandwich or, to locals, just an "Italian."
And you "might" be disappointed (as some perturbed Redditors attest) if you order one of these Italians expecting to sink your teeth into salami, capicola, mortadella, or provolone. Critics say it's a glorified ham and cheese — an Italian in name only (because the person who invented and named it was an Italian immigrant).
His name was Giovanni Amato, a baker who sold sandwiches on fresh-baked rolls from a cart to locals at the docks around the turn of the 20th century. Cheap and great for on-the-go workers, the sandwiches were a hit. Giovanni soon opened Amato's Sandwich Shop on India Street, where business boomed. Engraved bricks on the street state: "On this spot in 1930 Amato's made 1,500 sandwiches a day. They cost 15 cents."
Despite some naysayers, there are plenty of devotees who swear by a Maine Italian. But before you try one yourself, it's best to know how they differ from the type of Italian sub found at a New York Italian deli.
Italian sandwich versus Italian sub
According to What's Cooking America, an Italian sandwich contains boiled ham slices and American cheese on a soft, open-faced, footlong bun with sliced tomato, green peppers, sour pickles (cut long and slender), chopped onion, Greek or black olives, oil, salt, and pepper. Simple but tasty, the sandwich does not include any of the other meats or cheeses typical of most Italian subs. Italian sandwiches also forgo lettuce or condiments like mayo or mustard.
Despite these differences, the Italian sandwich continues to be an intrinsic part of Maine culture and can be found in various sandwich shops all over New England. For locals, there's also a nostalgic element. In a Portland Press Herald article, thirty-eight-year-old Yarmouth, Maine resident Alyssa McDermott extols its virtues: "I'll defend it until the day I die," she said. "At Jersey Mike's (sub chain), everything comes out of a bag. With the Italian, everything's sliced onto the sandwich. It's a part of Maine's unique culture, and it should be recognized."
Now that you've adjusted your expectations, if you'd like to try one of these sandwiches from the lineage of its original purveyor, they're still featured on Amato's menu to this day. In a short retro video, that's sure to bring a smile to your face, Dominic Reali, who purchased the original Amato's back in 1972 (before transforming it into a franchise in 1988), offers some sound advice on how to eat an Italian sandwich. "It's very easy to do," he encourages (via YouTube).