The Unexpected Place Stromboli Actually Originated (No, It Wasn't Italy)

It must be remembered that Italian-American cuisine is a culinary milieu in its own right – the result of Italian traditions and techniques evolving within a uniquely American context. The kind of hefty meatballs many of us are familiar with, for example, are significantly different from the daintier Italian polpettes, and while it may be a descendant of a classic Neapolitan ragú, what we today know as Sunday gravy or Sunday sauce only came about because Italian immigrants could take advantage of the plentiful, inexpensive meat available in the United States. One prime exemplar of Italian-American invention is the stromboli, the origins of which can be found not in Italy, but in mid-century Pennsylvania.

The stromboli — a stuffed sandwich typically consisting of Italian cheeses, cold cuts, and sauce spread across dough, then rolled and baked until the fillings are hot and gooey, identifiable by its distinctive spiral interior — can trace its genesis to 1950, according to Romano's Pizzeria and Italian Restaurant. Nazzereno Romano, an Italian immigrant and former stonemason who came to America in 1923, uprooted to Essington, PA, in 1939 shortly after his wife's passing, opening what was then the Essington Pizzeria. Despite the fact the pizza was so unknown in the area at the time, local residents assumed that "Pizzeria" was Romano's surname, the eatery quickly established a loyal following. In 1950, Romano unveiled his new creation, which — though inspired by what in Italy would be called "imbottito" or "imbottite", Italian slang for stuffed bread – would soon be christened for the movie "Stromboli" of the same year, directed by Roberto Rossellini and starring Ingrid Bergman (whose behind-the-scenes love affair became such a scandal, Bergman would be banned from Hollywood).

When he first launched the delicacy upon the world, Nazzereno Romano offered just three variations on the stromboli — sweet, hot, and pepperoni — but in the years since, the restaurant that would eventually change its name to honor him would dramatically expand its menu. The current range of stromboli on offer at Romano's includes cheesesteak, meatball provolone, buffalo chicken, and the "Special Hot", which comes loaded with ham, cotteghino, capicola, Genoa salami, prosciuttini, pepperoni, American cheese, sweet bell peppers, and hot banana peppers. In 2024, the "Special Hot" was selected as the winner of the third annual Herr's "Flavored by Philly" contest, resulting in a new line of potato chips in the flavor of the fan-favorite stromboli.

More than eight decades after it first opened, Romano's remains a family concern that has seen four generations of the Romanos serve up stromboli to hungry patrons from surrounding Delaware County, as well as those who have made the short trip from nearby Philadelphia. Today, the restaurant is run by Daniel Romano, great grandson to Nazzereno, who took over from his father Pete Romano Jr., who in turn inherited it from his father, Pete Romano Sr. "It's so gratifying that people remember you for your food, and who you are," the elder Pete told "FYI Philly" in 2024 to mark the restaurant's 80th anniversary. "It means a lot to me."