Meatball subs are a staple of sub shops everywhere. If you’re trying a place you’ve never eaten at before, you can’t go wrong by ordering a meatball sub. The combination of meatballs, cheese, and marina on chewy bread that’s just toasted just enough is tough to beat. You might think that there’s not a lot to this essential Italian-American food, but like everything else in Italian culture, they have a lot going on.
Let’s take a look at this essential ingredient for sub shops everywhere.
Every country has meatballs.
The meatballs you usually find in the United States are from the Italian tradition, but pretty much every country and culture has its own version. You probably know about Swedish meatballs thanks to Ikea, Sweden isn’t the only one with its own take on meatballs. Most countries, especially in Europe, make meatballs with beef or pork. Germany, however, uses unique ingredients. They make their Könisberger Klopse with anchovies and salted herrings!
They come in all sizes.
We’re used to meatballs that are anywhere from large to huge, but they’re much smaller in Italy. Typically, they are about the size of a golf ball. But every region is a little different. If you ever travel to the Teramo province in Italy’s Abruzzo region, you’ll find tiny little meatballs!
Thank the immigrants for today’s meatballs.
Like pretty much all Italian-American foods, meatballs came to the United States in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. During that time, millions of immigrants were coming to America, bringing their family recipes with them. As they started to cook in their new home, they adapted their recipes based on what ingredients were available. Because meat was much less expensive and easier to get, they started to add more to their recipes. Meatballs became much bigger, simply because they could be. Italian immigrants also lived near other immigrant communities and borrowed things from them. For example, French baguettes were easy to find, so they were a natural choice to load up and make sandwiches.
Meatball Subs and More at The Sandwich Shop!
Hungry for a meatball sub now? We can’t blame you! Come to The Sandwich Shop for hot and cold subs. We have all the classics, plus some of our own creations.
