Gatsby (sandwich)

Last updated

Gatsby
Root44 3 cropped.jpg
A close-up view of a personal-sized Gatsby sandwich prepared with calamari and chips
Type Sandwich
Place of originSouth Africa
Region or state Cape Town
Main ingredients Bread rolls, French fries, meat or seafood (masala steak, chicken, boloney, [1] Vienna sausage, calamari, fish), sauce

A Gatsby is a South African submarine sandwich consisting of a bread roll filled with chips (French fries) and a choice of fillings and sauces. [2] It originated in Cape Town [1] and is popular throughout the Western Cape province. [3] The sandwich is typically large and shared by several people. [1] [2]

Contents

Recipe

There is no standard recipe for a Gatsby, but it is usually offered in a long (one foot or more) French-style bread roll cut lengthwise. [2] [4] [5] Other breads used may include hot dog buns or roti flat breads, [6] although a filled roti is usually referred to as a salomie. [7] The sandwich is made large to be shared, usually four ways. The filling of a Gatsby comprises chips with any number of other ingredients such as meats, fish and eggs. Meat fillings may include chargrilled steak, [4] masala steak, [2] chicken, boloney sausage, Vienna sausage and Russian sausage. Fried or pickled fish, [4] calamari, [1] curry [3] [4] and eggs are also frequently offered. [1] [8] The fillings are commonly dressed with achar pickles or peri peri sauce. [3] [5]

Although the Gatsby is typically made with meat fillings, vegan versions can be found that are usually made by substituting the meat with marinated soy. [9] [10] Healthier versions can also be found, using ingredients such as beans which are said to significantly reduce cholesterol and fat levels. [11]

History

The Gatsby sandwich originated in 1976 in Athlone, in the Cape Flats area of Cape Town. [1] Food shop owner Rashaad Pandy wanted to serve a quick but filling meal to workers helping him renovate his store. He filled a large round loaf with "slap chips" (South-African-style chips with vinegar), polony sausage and achaar and cut this into wedges. "Froggy", one of the workers, declared the sandwich a "Gatsby smash", [12] alluding to the movie The Great Gatsby which had been screened at an Athlone cinema. The name stuck and Pandy subsequently offered the sandwich in his shop. [13] [14] The sandwich grew in popularity and was adjusted to use a long French-style roll. The gatsby sandwich is a popular hangover cure for Capetonians. [15] [16]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamburger</span> Food consisting of a beef patty between rounded buns

A hamburger, or simply a burger, is a dish consisting of fillings—usually a patty of ground meat, typically beef—placed inside a sliced bun or bread roll. The patties are often served with cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles, bacon or chilis with condiments such as ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, relish or a "special sauce", often a variation of Thousand Island dressing, and are frequently placed on sesame seed buns. A hamburger patty topped with cheese is called a cheeseburger. Under some definitions, a burger is considered a sandwich.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandwich</span> Food made with bread and other ingredients

A sandwich is a dish typically consisting of meat, cheese or vegetables used as a filling between slices of bread, or placed on a slice of bread, or more generally any dish in which bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a portable, convenient finger food in the Western world, though over time it has become prevalent worldwide.

<i>Chorizo</i> Pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula

Chorizo is a type of pork sausage originating from the Iberian Peninsula. It is made in many national and regional varieties in several countries on different continents. Some of these varieties are quite different from each other, occasionally leading to confusion or disagreements over the names and identities of the products in question.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roti</span> South Asian flatbread

Roti is a round flatbread originating from the Indian subcontinent. It is commonly consumed in many South Asian, Southeast Asian, Caribbean, and Southeast African countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Schnitzel</span> Breaded, fried flat piece of meat

Schnitzel is a thin slice of meat. The meat is usually thinned by pounding with a meat tenderizer. Most commonly, the meat is breaded before frying. Breaded schnitzel is popular in many countries and is made using veal, pork, chicken, mutton, beef, or turkey. Schnitzel originated as wiener schnitzel and is very similar to other breaded meat dishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Comfort food</span> Type of food

Comfort food is food that provides a nostalgic or sentimental value to someone and may be characterized by its high caloric nature associated with childhood or home cooking. The nostalgia may be specific to an individual or it may apply to a specific culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South African cuisine</span> Cuisine of South Africa

South African cuisine reflects the diverse range of culinary traditions embodied by the various communities that inhabit the country. Among the indigenous peoples of South Africa, the Khoisan foraged over 300 species of edible food plants, such as the rooibos shrub legume, whose culinary value continues to exert a salient influence on South African cuisine. Subsequent encounters with Bantu pastoralists facilitated the emergence of cultivated crops and domestic cattle, which supplemented traditional Khoisan techniques of meat preservation. In addition, Bantu-speaking communities forged an extensive repertoire of culinary ingredients and dishes, many of which are still consumed today in traditional settlements and urban entrepôts alike.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bunny chow</span> South African dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry

Bunny chow, often referred to simply as a bunny, is an Indian South African fast food dish consisting of a hollowed-out loaf of white bread filled with curry and a serving of salad on the side. It originated among Indian South Africans of Durban. Throughout various South African communities, one can find cultural adaptations to the original version of the bunny chow, which uses only a quarter loaf of bread and is sometimes called a skhambane,kota ("quarter") or shibobo, a name it shares with sphatlho, a South African dish that evolved from the bunny chow.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Breakfast sandwich</span> Sandwich with breakfast foods

A breakfast sandwich is any sandwich filled with foods associated with breakfast. Breakfast sandwiches are served at fast food restaurants and delicatessens, sold in supermarkets, or commonly made at home. Different types of breakfast sandwich include the bacon sandwich, the egg sandwich, and the sausage sandwich; or various combinations thereof, like the bacon, egg and cheese sandwich. The breakfast sandwich is related to the breakfast roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Uruguayan cuisine</span> Culinary traditions of Uruguay

Uruguayan cuisine is a fusion of cuisines from several European countries, especially of Mediterranean foods from Spain, Italy, Portugal and France. Other influences on the cuisine resulted from immigration from countries such as Germany and Scotland. Uruguayan gastronomy is a result of immigration, rather than local Amerindian cuisine, because of late-19th and early 20th century immigration waves of, mostly, Italians. Spanish influences are abundant: desserts like churros, flan, ensaimadas yoo (Catalan sweet bread), and alfajores were all brought from Spain. There are also various kinds of stews known as guisos or estofados, arroces, and fabada. All of the guisos and traditional pucheros (stews) are also of Spanish origin. Uruguayan preparations of fish, such as dried salt cod (bacalao), calamari, and octopus, originate from the Basque and Galician regions, and also Portugal. Due to its strong Italian tradition, all of the famous Italian pasta dishes are present in Uruguay including ravioli, lasagne, tortellini, fettuccine, and the traditional gnocchi. Although the pasta can be served with many sauces, there is one special sauce that was created by Uruguayans. Caruso sauce is a pasta sauce made from double cream, meat, onions, ham and mushrooms. It is very popular with sorrentinos and agnolotti. Additionally, there is Germanic influence in Uruguayan cuisine as well, particularly in sweet dishes. The pastries known as bizcochos are Germanic in origin: croissants, known as medialunas, are the most popular of these, and can be found in two varieties: butter- and lard-based. Also German in origin are the Berlinese known as bolas de fraile, and the rolls called piononos. The Biscochos were re-christened with local names given the difficult German phonology, and usually Uruguayanized by the addition of a dulce de leche filling. Even dishes like chucrut (sauerkraut) have also made it into mainstream Uruguayan dishes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steak sandwich</span> Type of sandwich

A steak sandwich is a sandwich prepared with steak that has been broiled, fried, grilled, barbecued or seared using steel grates or gridirons, then served on bread or a roll. Steak sandwiches are sometimes served with toppings of cheese, onions, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, and in some instances fried eggs, coleslaw, and french fries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bologna sausage</span> Finely ground pork sausage

Bologna sausage, informally baloney, is a sausage derived from the Italian mortadella, a similar-looking, finely ground pork sausage, named after the city of Bologna. Typical seasonings for bologna include black pepper, nutmeg, allspice, celery seed and coriander, and, like mortadella, myrtle berries give it its distinctive flavor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Regional street food</span>

Regional street food is street food that has commonalities within a region or culture.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Indo cuisine</span> Fusion of Indonesian and European cuisine

Indo cuisine is a fusion cooking and cuisine tradition, mainly existing in Indonesia and the Netherlands, as well as Belgium, South Africa and Suriname. This cuisine characterized of fusion cuisine that consists of original Indonesian cuisine with Eurasian-influences—mainly Dutch, also Portuguese, Spanish, French and British—and vice versa. Nowaday, not only Indo people consume Indo cuisine, but also Indonesians and Dutch people.

Breakfast, the first meal of the day eaten after waking from the night's sleep, varies in composition and tradition across the world.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Kavonic, Dayle (17 April 2015). "The Gatsby Sandwich". Cape Town Magazine. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Weiss, Andrea (21 June 2013). "Where to find a gatsby in Cape Town". South African Tourism. Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 Albala, Ken, ed. (2011). Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia: Volume 1 Africa and Middle East. Greenwood. p. 178. ISBN   978-0-313-37627-6.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Lehman, A. (2005). Fodor's South Africa. Fodor's Travel Publications. p. 1–PA58. ISBN   978-1-4000-1366-1.
  5. 1 2 "The Great Gatsby". Saveur . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  6. "Rolled or on a roll? Cape Town's famous gatsby gets a new look". news24.com. 15 May 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  7. "Salomie - Cape Town's favourite roti wrap". capetownetc.com. 6 March 2018. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  8. van der Merwe, Marelise (9 October 2013). "In search of Cape Town's own Great Gatsby". Daily Maverick . Retrieved 17 April 2015.
  9. "Vegan Grilled Soy Steaks with 3 Marinades". Cheap And Cheerful Cooking. 30 June 2019. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  10. "Vegan Gatsby Sandwich". zuckerjagdwurst.com. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  11. Dynamics, Press Release, Issued by Lange 360 on behalf of Pharma. "'Gatsby' gets healthy makeover in Waterfront". Health24. Retrieved 12 July 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  12. Richardson, Heather (1 December 2020). "Cape Town's most famous fast food". BBC Travel. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  13. "The Story Behind One of Cape Town's Favourite Foods: The Gatsby". capetownmagazine.com. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  14. "5 great gatsbys in Cape Town". Eat Out. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  15. "Cape Town's Best Hangover Cures". Food & Wine. Retrieved 28 August 2021.
  16. "Best Hangover Food Cures from Cape Town Restaurants | Babalas Remedies, Top Foods for Hangovers, Hungover Meals & Eating Out South Africa". capetownmagazine.com. Retrieved 28 August 2021.