Italian beef
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use American English Template:Infobox food Template:Steak An Italian beef is a sandwich, originating in Chicago, made from thin slices of roast beef simmered and served with a thin gravy on French bread. Common toppings are a choice between spicy giardiniera (called "hot") or mild bell peppers (called "sweet"). The entire sandwich is traditionally dipped in the juice the meat is cooked in before serving with a side of French fries.
The sandwich traces back to Italian American immigrants in Chicago as early as the 1930s, but the exact origin is unknown. The sandwich gradually grew in popularity and was widely eaten in the city by the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="peanut"/> The sandwich saw a substantial rise in popularity upon the release of the television show The Bear, set in a fictional Chicago restaurant which specializes in the sandwich.<ref name="nytimes">Template:Cite news</ref>
PreparationEdit
The sandwich is made from beef that has been roasted in beef stock and other seasonings.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> A 1962 recipe calls for bay leaves, garlic powder, tomato paste, and crushed dried red pepper.<ref name="peanut"/> The choice of beef cut varies. Inside round is commonly used due to its ease of preparation, but some restaurants use top sirloin.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The meat is cooked until it is not pink in the middle, unlike that of a roast beef sandwich. When it is done, it is sliced as thinly as possible, usually thinner than one would for a roast beef sandwich.<ref name="latimes"/> It is then soaked in the juices it was cooked in.<ref name="hunting"/>
The sandwich is typically served on French bread, often baked at Turano Baking Co. in particular.<ref name="bonappetit">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="tribune">Template:Cite news</ref> It is important that the bread is crusty so it does not fall apart after being dipped.<ref name="Straight Dope Chicago">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Traditionally the sandwich is either ordered "sweet" with grilled or boiled bell peppers, or "hot" with spicy giardiniera. The sandwich can also be topped with cheese (mozzarella, provolone, or cheddar cheese) which is growing in popularity. Some restaurants offer the addition of Italian sausage, typically called a "combo." Marinara sauce is sometimes offered as a topping.<ref name="tribune"/>
To assemble an Italian beef, the meat is transferred to the bread still wet, followed by the desired toppings.<ref name="hunting"/> The completed sandwich is then traditionally dunked in juices before serving. The amount of juices added can be customized using terminology such as "dipped," "dunked," or "wet," but the definitions vary among restaurants. An Italian beef can also be ordered "dry", with or without a side of gravy. An Italian beef is frequently ordered with a side of French fries,<ref name="bonappetit"/> or sometimes an Italian ice.<ref name="latimes"/>
Some restaurants sell "gravy bread," bread dipped in juices without meat or toppings. This is cheaper than a full sandwich.<ref name="tribune"/>
HistoryEdit
The exact origin of the sandwich is unknown.<ref name="latimes">Template:Cite news</ref> One possible origin is that the sandwich was invented by Italian American immigrants who sliced inexpensive beef cuts exceedingly thin to feed many people and to tenderize tougher cuts of beef that they were forced to buy due to discrimination. The beef was served on bread to further stretch the meal and mask the poor quality of the meat.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Some historians believe that Pasquale Scala invented the sandwich in the 1920s to serve at weddings. Al's Beef claims that Tony Ferreri invented the sandwich in the 1920s to serve at weddings; his son Al later began selling beef sandwiches in 1938.<ref name="hunting">Template:Cite news</ref>
According to the Chicago Tribune, the sandwich was not very popular in the 1950s and 1960s, but it began to take off in the 1970s. By the 1980s, the sandwich was ubiquitous throughout Chicago and celebrities such as Neil Diamond and Jay Leno reportedly enjoyed the sandwich.<ref name="peanut">Template:Cite news</ref> Still, the sandwich was mostly unknown outside the city until the release of The Bear in 2022.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Restaurants across the U.S. reported a surge in demand for the sandwich in the months following the premiere of the show.<ref name="nytimes"/> Chris Zucchero, owner of Mr. Beef, starred in the pilot episode, which was filmed in his restaurant.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
May is also Italian Beef Month.Template:Cn In May 2025, Portillo's Restaurants announced "The Leo" available that month. Named for Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost, a native Chicagoan, after he was elected the first-ever American pope and took the name Pope Leo XIV, it featured the beef "baptized" in its juices.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>