Readers' Choice: Vote for America's best sandwiches!
Although the 4th Earl of Sandwich is given credit as the source for the name "sandwich," there can be no doubt that Americans have truly perfected this hand-held meal. Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert or an afternoon snack, we have embraced the sandwich -- now as American as baseball and apple pie.
In honor of this great culinary concoction, Paste BN 10Best and Sandwich America have scoured the states for the best of the best. To kick things off, we've selected 10 iconic regional sandwiches and enlisted a team of local experts and chefs to help nominate 20 stellar examples in each category. Now we need you! Vote for your favorite sandwich in each category once per day. Voting ends on Monday, May 9 at noon ET, and the winning sandwiches will be announced on Friday, May 13.
Click on each category below to vote:
Bagels are not originally from New York. Lox are not originally from New York, but it was New Yorkers who created this mash-up, and the result is one of the most sublime sandwich combinations ever created. Who makes the best?
With its large number of German settlers Wisconsin embraces this delicious sausage, including the version created in-state, the beer brat, which is made by simmering the sausage in beer prior to grilling.
Best Brisket Sandwich in Texas
Texas barbecue have mastered the art of taking this tough, fatty piece of meat and transforming it into a delicious staple to feed hungry crowds; it has become one of the state's claims to fame.
Best Cheesesteak in Pennsylvania
In 1930 Pat Olivieri, a Philly hot dog vendor, put some meat on his grill and a passing cabbie ordered the first steak sandwich. Someone added cheese along the way, and now this sandwich is a Pennsylvania icon.
Best Crab Cake Sandwich in Maryland
No trip to Maryland would be complete without trying this region's staple, best served between two buns!
Best Cuban Sandwich in Florida
There may be as many versions of the Cuban sandwich in Florida as there are Cuban sandwich shops -- a lot of them! Depending on where you land in Florida this sandwich might take a different shape.
Best Green Chile Cheeseburger in New Mexico
New Mexico didn't invent the burger, but they did improve it by adding whole or chopped green chiles to a traditional cheeseburger, putting this sandwich on the map.
A few things are undisputed about the Italian Beef Sandwich: it originated on the “Sout” Side of Chicago by Italian immigrants, it's served in hundreds of places around the city and when made correctly, it should leave a trail of juice down your arm.
Best Lobster Roll in Maine/Massachusetts
The lobster roll is not a sandwich made for penny pinching, but as they say you get what you pay for, and if sweet chunky lobster is what you want it is well worth the price.
The long French roll with squared ends was made special so this sandwich could be uniformly stuffed. Today it contains ingredients as diverse as the cultures of Louisiana.
Remember you can vote once per day in each category, so vote now and vote often. May the best sandwich win!