"Grinder," pronounced "grahyn-dah" by native Rhode Islanders, is Italian-American slang for dock worker. Aptly named, it took a lot of chewing or grinding to eat the hard crusted bread used to make the sandwich. Lore has it, the grinder was invented in Portland, Maine by Giovanni Amato, an Italian baker, who came up with a portable inexpensive lunch for laborers. During the early 20th century, Italians emigrated to the Northeast and earned a living paving streets, laying railway lines, and working as longshoremen on the waterfront. Purportedly, Mr. Amato started selling fresh baked rolls from a pushcart to kindred Italian immigrants working the docks. At the workers' request, he added meat, cheese, and veggies. Bada bing - the Italian Grinder!
Wedge, hoagie, hero, po'boy, or sub - in these here parts of Rhode Island, I'll venture the term "grinder" predominates. A full-blooded Italian, I'll vouch for the Italian grinder's popularity. Spreading my Italian heritage, I'm about to drop anchor by offering an Italian grinder recipe packin' meat and Rhode Island heat, worthy of hard working longshoremen.
4 1 2 Grinder
Ingredients:
Crusty bread - preferably a loaf of Italian bread cut in half; optional - oblong torpedo roll
Olive oil
Red wine vinegar
Seasoning (optional): black pepper, crushed red pepper, or oregano
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 tomato, thinly sliced
Veggies - lettuce, shredded or torn; instead - thinly sliced green or red pepper rings or hot pepperoncinis
Variety - 2 -3 slices each of at least three Italian cold cuts: Genoa salami, mortadella, sliced pepperoni, capicola, or prosciutto
4-5 slices - provolone cheese
Directions:
1.Cut loaf of Italian bread in half; slice through sandwich half - lengthwise, deep enough to open and fill with ingredients.
2.On one side of bread - layer onion slices, tomato slices, lettuce, pepper rings, or pepperoncinis.
3.Spread Italian meats and cheese, overlapping.
4.Generously drizzle olive oil and add a few splashes of red wine vinegar. Add seasoning if you wish.
5.Press sides of bread together and voila!
*Rhode Islanders often leave the sandwich open and place it in the oven until the cheese melts - let the temperature rise to 350 degrees.
After WWII, as Italian food grew in popularity in the United States and many cultures became assimilated, the use of other meats and cheeses infiltrated the grinder - turkey, roast beef, American and Swiss cheese. Even mayonnaise and mustard elbowed their way in. With the advent of chain restaurants, all sorts of grinders can be had and named for the type of bread used - baguette, ciabatta, barra, foccacia. In Rhode Island, the Italian grinder has hit the sauce big time: meatball, chicken parm, and eggplant grinders abound.
Baloney! Most Italian grinder aficionados prefer a hearty and heavy sinker laden with Italian meats and provolone cheese, drizzled with olive oil and splashed with wine vinegar. However, you don't have to make your own to eat like a longshoreman when you visit The Ocean State. You can drop anchor at Angelo's, 141 Atwells Avenue, Providence. Established in 1924, in the Federal Hill district of the city, you can order an Italian grinder at a bargain price while sitting elbow-to-elbow with politicians, lawyers, and laborers. Go Rhode Island all the way - order it toasted under the broiler until the cheese melts.
Giovanni Amato is credited with inventing the Italian grinder as a portable and inexpensive meal for blue collar workers. People from all walks of life and geographical locations can still enjoy a hearty and heavy sandwich on crusty bread, grinding to the last morsel. When dropping anchor in Rhode Island, order it heated.
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Bare-Tool DEWALT DC411B 4-1/2-Inch 18-Volt Cordless Cut-Off Tool (Tool Only, No Battery) Overview
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