Submarine sandwiches

Submarine sandwich

A submarine sandwich.
Alternative names	Multiple
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Northeast
Main ingredients	Multiple
Variations	Multiple

A submarine sandwich, also known as a sub, wedge, hoagie, hero, grinder, or Italian sandwich, is a type of sandwich that consists of a length of bread or roll split lengthwise and filled with a variety of meats, cheeses, vegetables, and condiments. The sandwich has no standardized name, with over a dozen regional variations used across the U.S. Larger submarine sandwiches, particularly those that are longer in length or overstuffed with greater quantities of ingredients than usual, are sometimes called battleship sandwiches or destroyer sandwiches.

The terms and sub are widespread and not assignable to any certain region, though many of the localized terms are clustered in the northeastern United States.

The Italian sandwich originated in several different Italian American communities in the Northeastern United States from the late 19th to mid-20th centuries. Portland, Maine claims to be the birthplace of the Italian sandwich and it is considered Maine's signature sandwich. The popularity of this Italian-American cuisine has grown from its origins in Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts, and Rhode Island to most parts of the United States, Canada, and with the advent of chain restaurants, is now available in many parts of the world.

In British English the type of bread roll used is known as a baton, baguette or French stick, and despite the burgeoning success of the Subway franchise chain, the American usage has not become widespread in the UK.