Signature Sandwich from each state, part 2 of 3 Hawaii-New Jersey

This week's blog is week 2 of 3 in my blog series about the signature sandwich for each of the 50 states. Week 2 covers Hawaii thru New Jersey.

Hawaii: Kālua pork sandwich

The kālua pork sandwich features shredded, smoky kālua pork served on a bun with coleslaw. It highlights the traditional Hawaiian method of cooking pork in an underground oven, or imu. The succulent meat can be topped with pineapple and a touch of barbecue sauce.

Idaho: Peanut butter and huckleberry sandwich

The peanut butter and huckleberry sandwich features creamy peanut butter paired with sweet-tart huckleberry jam on sliced bread. This simple yet flavorful concoction celebrates Idaho's wild huckleberries, a beloved local fruit.

Illinois: Italian beef sandwich

This sandwich originated from Italian immigrants in Chicago in the early 1900s. It features thin slices of slowly simmered seasoned roast beef served with au jus on crusty French bread, often topped with Italian pickled vegetables known as giardiniera, or sweet peppers.

Indiana: Pork tenderloin sandwich

The large breaded and fried pork tenderloin cutlet, bun, pickles, lettuce, and mayonnaise work together to create a balanced offering packed with flavor. The sandwich was introduced in 1904 by Nicholas Freinstein, a pushcart vendor in Huntington, Indiana, who swapped out veal for pork and then opened Nick's Kitchen in 1908, helping it spread to small-town diners throughout the Midwest.

Iowa: Loose meat sandwich

This wonderfully messy sandwich features seasoned ground beef crumbles served on a bun and often topped with pickles, onions, and mustard. It originated in Muscatine, Iowa, in 1926.

Kansas: Burnt ends sandwich

This famous sandwich holds smoky, caramelized, crisped pieces of beef brisket on a bun with barbecue sauce. Originating from Kansas City traditions traced to Arthur Bryant's BBQ, the burnt ends sandwich is a beloved staple with variations that include different barbecue sauces or additional toppings, such as coleslaw and pickled onions.

Kentucky: Hot brown

The hot brown, an open-faced sandwich from Louisville, Kentucky, piles up turkey, tomatoes, and bacon covered in Mornay sauce and baked until the Texas toast is crispy and additional cheese on top is oozing.

Louisiana: Muffuletta

The muffuletta features layers of salami, ham, mortadella, and provolone topped with a tangy olive salad and served on a round of Sicilian sesame bread. This is an Italian American classic.

Maine: Lobster roll

Maine's lobster roll is served chilled with tender, sweet lobster meat mixed with mayonnaise, celery, and lemon juice on a buttered, toasted bun. Originating from the Connecticut coast, this sandwich highlights the region's seafood industry.

Maryland: Crab cake sandwich

This delicious creation features a broiled or fried crab cake made from lump crab meat mixed with egg, mayonnaise, and Old Bay seasoning served on a bun with lettuce, tomato, and tartar sauce. The crab cake sandwich originates from Maryland's Chesapeake Bay area, known for its blue crabs, and is believed to date back to Native Americans.

Massachusetts: Fluffernutter

This beloved sandwich consists of peanut butter and marshmallow crème spread between slices of white bread. The fluffernutter, originating in the early 20th century, highlights the state's connection to Marshmallow Fluff, which began its rise in Somerville, Massachusetts, in 1917.

Michigan: Ham sandwich

Slices of honey-baked ham served on an onion roll with mustard and Swiss cheese make this a Detroit favorite. The sandwich showcases the state's ham production and traditional diner fare that dates to the mid-1960s.

Minnesota: Walleye sandwich

A filet of walleye, breaded and fried, served on a bun with tartar sauce, tomato, and lettuce highlights Minnesota's favorite freshwater fish, commonly caught in the state's many lakes. Variations include bacon or tangy sauces.

Mississippi: Shrimp po'boy

This sandwich showcases zesty fried shrimp, which is piled high on a crusty French baguette dressed with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and Cajun rémoulade sauce. Originating in New Orleans in 1929, the po'boy has become a staple along the Gulf Coast.

Missouri: Hot salami sandwich

Originating from Gioia's Deli in St. Louis, the hot salami sandwich features thick slices of hot, spiced salami served on an Italian roll with hot mustard, pepperoncini, pickles, and pepper jack cheese.

Montana: Pork chop sandwich

The pork chop sandwich consists of a breaded and fried pork chop served on a bun with mustard, pickles, onions, and mayonnaise. This sandwich, created by John Burklund and sold from a street cart, originated in 1900 during the Great Depression.

Nebraska: Reuben

This favorite features corned beef, Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Russian dressing grilled between slices of rye bread. It's said that the sandwich was created at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, Nebraska, in the 1920s for Reuben Kulakofsky—though there's competing lore that it was created by ​​Arnold Reuben in New York in 1914.

Nevada: Patty melt

This classic diner sandwich combines elements of a hamburger and grilled cheese. It features a beef patty topped with melted Swiss cheese and caramelized onions served on grilled rye bread.

New Hampshire: Roast beef sandwich

Thinly sliced, perfectly pink roast beef piled high on a bun and often served with mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato highlight this edition of a quality roast beef sandwich. It's remarkably simple. Though theories about who created the popular sandwich abound, you're sure to find a good one in New Hampshire.

New Jersey: Italian sub

Originating from Italian American communities, this is a staple at delis and sandwich shops. The sub features layers of Italian cold cuts such as salami, ham, capicola, and provolone cheese topped with lettuce, tomato, onions, and Italian dressing and served on a long roll.

Check back next week for the last of this 3-blog series, New Mexico thru Wyoming.

Signature sandwich from each state, part 1 of 3 Alabama-Georgia

The food preferences of the United States are as diverse as its multicultural population, with each state proudly boasting its own signature sandwich that often tells a rich story of culture, history, migration, and tradition. The origin stories of these sandwiches are as varied as the ingredients themselves, often rooted in immigrant traditions, agricultural abundance, or the innovative spirit of American cuisine.

Across the country, there is a vast array of sandwiches, each with unique flavors and preparation methods. These range from hearty, meat-laden creations to creamy, sweet-filled delights, showing the many possibilities found between two slices of bread. There is no denying the integral role sandwiches play in America's food identity.

This week's part 1 of 3 signature sandwich series covers Alabama thru Georgia.

Alabama: Pulled chicken sandwich with white barbeque sauce

Alabama's pulled chicken sandwich features tender, slow-cooked pulled chicken drenched in a tangy white barbecue sauce made with mayo and served on a bun.

Alaska: Salmon sandwich

This sandwich is a joint product of Alaska's rich fishing industry and abundant salmon population. Variations include different toppings, such as avocado or aioli, to complement the grilled or smoked fish.

Arizona: Sonoran hot dog

The state's significant Mexican influence and proximity to Sonora, Mexico, make this iconic borderland sandwich an Arizona favorite. The Sonoran hot dog features a bacon-wrapped hot dog stuffed into a bolillo roll and topped with pinto beans, onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, mustard, and mayonnaise.

Arkansas: Fried bologna sandwich

The fried bologna sandwich features thick slices of bologna, fried until crispy, on white bread with mustard and mayonnaise. Originating from simple, hearty fare popular in the rural South, this sandwich is a nostalgic favorite. Ingredient variations include cheese, onions, or a fried egg.

California: French dip sandwich

Hailing from Los Angeles, the French dip sandwich consists of thinly sliced roast beef on a French roll served with a side of au jus for dipping. Originating from Philippe The Original or Cole's Pacific Electric Buffet, both of which claim to have invented it, this sandwich reflects the diverse culinary influences in California. I can remember as a young child when our family would make the trek from West Los Angeles to downtown to get French dip sandwiches at Philippe's.

Colorado: Denver sandwich

The Denver sandwich, also known as the Denver omelet, consists of scrambled eggs mixed with diced ham, onions, and bell peppers served between slices of toasted bread. The sandwich can include cheese or different types of meat.

Connecticut: Lobster roll

Connecticut's lobster roll is served hot with warm lobster meat tossed in melted butter on a toasted bun. This version differs from the New England cold lobster roll, which uses mayonnaise.

Delaware: The Bobbie

The Bobbie layers turkey, cranberry sauce, stuffing, and mayonnaise on a sub roll, mimicking a Thanksgiving meal. Originating from the Wilmington, Delaware, founded Capriotti's Sandwich Shop in 1976, it quickly became a local favorite.

Florida: Cubano

Cuban bread, roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles, and mustard pressed until crispy—that's what gives the Cubano its perfect crunchy bite. It originated with Cuban immigrants in Florida around the turn of the 20th century, and additional layers may include salami, a Tampa, Florida, specific twist.

Georgia: Pimento cheese sandwich

The pimento cheese sandwich, a Southern staple, is especially beloved in Georgia. It consists of a creamy spread made from sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos (cherry peppers) served cold or on griddled white bread.

Fun Fact:  The sandwich originated in 18^th century England, made popular in 1762 by John Montagu, the 4^th Earl of Sandwich, a man obsessed with gambling. Legend says the Earl ordered meat between slices of bread so he could eat with one hand and not need to leave the gaming table. Others at the table ordered "the same as Sandwich." Named in the 1760s, similar bread and filling concepts actually existed thousands of years earlier.

Stop by next week for a look at part 2 of 3—Hawaii thru New Jersey.

No Blog This Week

I have out of state company staying with me Sunday May 10 thru Saturday May 16, 2026.  I'll see you next week. 

Mother's Day—A Brief History

Mother's Day is a holiday honoring motherhood. It's observed in different forms in many countries, the date traditionally falling on the second Sunday in May in the United States (for 2026 that's Sunday, May 10).

The celebration of mothers and motherhood goes back to the ancient Greeks and Romans who held festivals honoring the mother goddesses. The clearest precedent for Mother's Day is the early Christian festival known as Mothering Sunday. This was once a major tradition in the UK and parts of Europe, falling on the fourth Sunday in Lent. It was a time when the faithful would return to their mother church (the main church in the vicinity of their home) for a special service. Over time the tradition shifted into a secular holiday with children bringing flowers to their mothers as tokens of appreciation.

Although the roots of the modern American Mother's Day go back to the years prior to our Civil War (1861-1865), the official Mother's Day holiday in the U.S. arose in the 1900s as a result of the efforts of Anna Jarvis. Following her mother's death in 1905, Anna Jarvis conceived of Mother's Day as a way of honoring the sacrifices mothers made for their children. After gaining financial backing from a Philadelphia department store owner, in May 1908 she organized the first official Mother's Day celebration at a Methodist church in Grafton, West Virginia. That same day also saw thousands of people attend a Mother's Day event at a retail store in Philadelphia.

Following the success of her first Mother's Day, Jarvis—who remained unmarried and childless her whole life—resolved to see her holiday added to the national calendar. Arguing that American holidays were biased toward male achievements, she started a massive letter writing campaign to newspapers and prominent politicians urging the adoption of a special day honoring motherhood. By 1912, many states, towns and churches had adopted Mother's Day as an annual holiday, and Jarvis had established the Mother's Day International Association to help promote her cause. Her persistence paid off in 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson signed a measure officially establishing the second Sunday in May as Mother's Day.

Anna Jarvis had originally conceived of Mother's Day as a day of personal celebration between mothers and families. Her version of the day involved wearing a white carnation and visiting one's mother or attending church services. But once Mother's Day became a national holiday, it wasn't long before florists, card companies and other merchants capitalized on its popularity.

While Jarvis had initially worked with the floral industry to help raise the Mother's Day profile, by 1920 she had become disgusted with how the holiday had been commercialized. She outwardly denounced what she believed it had become and urged people to stop buying Mother's Day flowers, cards and candies. Jarvis eventually resorted to an open campaign against Mother's Day profiteers and even charities. She also launched countless lawsuits against groups that had used the name "Mother's Day," eventually spending most of her personal wealth in legal fees. By the time of her death in 1948 Jarvis had disowned the holiday altogether, and even actively lobbied the government to see it removed from the American calendar.

Even though versions of Mother's Day are celebrated throughout the world, traditions vary from country to country. For example—in Thailand, Mother's Day is always celebrated in August on the birthday of the current queen. And in Ethiopia, families gather each fall to sing songs and eat a large feast as part of a multi-day celebration honoring motherhood.

In the U.S., Mother's Day has become one of the biggest holidays for consumer spending.