South American (sandwich)

Last updated
South American
CourseMain course
Place of origin Minnesota, US
Region or state Iron Range
Created byMike Giacomo
Serving temperatureHot
Main ingredientsminced meats
Variationspepperoni

The South American is a sandwich from Minnesotan cuisine. It is similar to a sloppy joe, and originated in the Iron Range of Minnesota. The sandwich is a bar snack made of several kinds of minced meat, onions, tomatoes, peppers, and celery. [1] [2] An Italian variation includes chopped pepperoni. [3]

Origin and name

The sandwich was invented at the Spaghetti Inn in Gilbert, Minnesota by Mike Giacomo, who created the sandwich from leftovers when a drunk resident turned up at the inn and demanded a meal. The etymology of the name is unknown, however it could possibly be due to the perceived exotic nature of South America. [4]

References

  1. ↑ Hunter, Patrick (2020-01-20). "South Americans: Sloppy Joe meets the American Southwest | The Practical Herbalist" . Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  2. ↑ Diane (2016-02-04). "South Americans – Iron Range Bar Sandwiches". Diane's Food Blog. Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  3. ↑ Behymer, Jim (2024-12-31). "Feeding a Crowd: the Iron Range's Porketta | Sandwich Tribunal" . Retrieved 2025-08-07.
  4. ↑ Behymer, Jim (2022-07-30). "South American Sandwiches (of Northeastern Minnesota) | Sandwich Tribunal" . Retrieved 2025-08-07.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.