| In most of the United States, the sloppy Joe | | | | first appeared on the menu of the Town Hall |
| sandwich is a lunchroom staple, consisting of | | | | Deli in South Orange, NJ in 1936. To this |
| skillet-cooked ground meat, usually beef, | | | | day, that version, called the original sloppy |
| spicy tomato sauce or tomato paste, and bread | | | | Joe, is a triple-decker sandwich with layers |
| or a bun. Sometimes greasy and oversweet, the | | | | of ham, tongue, and Swiss cheese, with |
| sloppy Joe has been served in school | | | | Russian dressing served on long, thin slices |
| cafeterias for years. Certainly, when one | | | | of buttered rye and cut into quarters. |
| considers the commercially available versions | | | | Another version is made with smoked salmon, |
| of the sandwich, this is what comes to mind; | | | | creamed cheese and egg salad, and yet others |
| the manwich, for example, which is seasoned | | | | include corned beef. |
| beef and sauce in a can, ready to be heated | | | | |
| and poured over the bread. | | | | Some further evidence of the Cuban connection |
| | | | is seen in a sandwich served in the West |
| Ideally, though, the meat in the sloppy Joe | | | | Village of New York City.It is essentially a |
| is both sweet and spicy At the same time, and | | | | Cuban ropa vieja sandwich, which is based on |
| is heavily sautéed to give the sauce | | | | a marinated pulled skirt steak that is then |
| thickness, And far from the cold, greasy | | | | stewed in a combination of tomato sauce with |
| monstrosity served to school kids. It has | | | | garlic, cumin, tomatoes, peppers and chilies. |
| become, in some more fashionable delis, an | | | | This particular iteration is then served on a |
| experiment in bringing Diners back to their | | | | steam-oven bun. |
| youth with combinations that go well beyond | | | | |
| tomato Paste and beef. One possible | | | | The New Jersey version of the sandwich, |
| selection, for example, is pork in tomato | | | | legend has it, was brought Back to the states |
| Sauce with ginger, garlic, and chili sauce. | | | | by a mayor of Maplewood, NJ in 1934 or 35. Of |
| With cheddar cheese and on a freshly baked | | | | course, given all the versions of the |
| Kaiser roll, topped with fresh spices, it is | | | | sandwich, there are many explanations for its |
| a far cry from something on a hamburger roll | | | | invention and name. Some hold that it |
| served by a lady in a hairnet. | | | | originated in Sloppy Joe's bar in Cuba. |
| | | | Others attribute it to Sloppy Joe's in Key |
| In New Jersey, however, the sloppy Joe is | | | | West (a favorite hangout of Earnest |
| something completely different. Instead of | | | | Hemmingway), which is responsible for the |
| ground beef, it contains some kind of deli | | | | first appearance of the name in print. Still |
| lunch meat, for example, turkey, ham, roast | | | | another attributes the ground-meat form of |
| beef, or even sliced cow tongue. It is served | | | | the sandwich to a diner in Iowa, or to the |
| on rye bread, often "double-" or | | | | depression-era habit of making almost |
| triple-decker." The sandwich is dressed with | | | | anything out of hamburger. |
| Swiss cheese, cole slaw, and Russian | | | | |
| dressing, similar to a reuben sandwich. | | | | Whatever its origin, the sloppy Joe, staple |
| | | | of school cafeterias and New Jersey delis |
| One theory of the origin of the sandwich is | | | | both, remains a favorite of all ages, with |
| that it originated at Sloppy Joe's Bar in | | | | wide regional variations - all of them |
| Havanna. The New Jersey version, however, | | | | delicious. |