I read this list of the “most famous local sandwiches in each state” at Yahoo and my immediate thought was that a steady diet of most of these would be enough to kill you.
IMO it’s proof positive that if American culture dies it will be of a heart attack.
In fairness I’ve tried about half of the sandwiches listed in the article at one time or another, for example the Horseshoe, Illinois’s entry, when I was in Springfield. The only one I’ve eaten lately is the banh mi, Washington State’s entry, and that was ten years ago. I have never had the courage to try a Fluffernutter in Tennessee Massachusetts. As my wife put it, “It’s just wrong”.
I had a horseshoe for the first time in years last weekend in Peoria. I’m not sure it’s an Illinois dish as much as a Springfield area dish that began as a variant of welsh rarebit with a slice of ham and fried potato wedges for the nails. Pork tenderloin sandwiches are probably more popular in Central Illinois and areas west and east, which began as a variant of Wiener schnitzel. Perhaps the most popular Illinois sandwich is Italian Beef?
You wouldnt want to have many of these very often but on occasion they are fine. Of note, the Fluffernutter is the one described for Massachusetts, peanut butter and fluff. The one described for Tennessee with the peanut butter, banana and bacon is called The Elvis, at least visiting my daughter there that is the name I have seen. Peanut butter and banana is fine if not a favorite of mine but bacon with banana has little appeal. They do fry them in a lot of butter so I guess the theory that enough butter improves anything may apply?
Steve
Steve