In New Orleans, no food is taken more seriously than the Po-Boy sandwich. A week ago today, the people of New Orleans celebrated the 2010 New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival which featured three stages with live music, arts and crafts, a children's section with games and prizes, panel discussions covering the history of the Po-Boy, beverage station on every block, bike corrals for 1000 bikes, and, of course, the best tasting Po-Boys in New Orleans contest.
Po-Boy is not only classy but also a tasty and messy sandwich that has been part of New Orleans' culture and history since Bennie and Clovis Martin opened Martin Brothers' Coffee Stand and Restaurant in the French Market in 1922 and assisted the poor and out of job people that were struggling due to the 1929 street car conductors strike.
The 2010 New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival drew an estimated crowd of 45,000. People from near and far came out to honor and taste this famous sandwich. Besides the traditional Roast Beef and gravy, Fried Shrimp, Oysters, Soft shell crab, Catfish, Crawfish, Louisiana hot sausage, and French fries Po-Boys; visitors were introduced to some unusual Po-Boys like Sashimi and Smoked Duck Po-Boys.
The New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival was started by The New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Society with the primary goal of trying to guarantee the survival of their beloved Po-Boy, or as one member said, "To save our sandwich." The society sees Po-Boy as an endangered species threaten by the encroachment of fast food chains that are carrying Po-Boy on their menus.
What differentiates a Po-Boy from any sandwich?
A Po-Boy (also po' boy, po boy, or poor boy) is a traditional submarine sandwich from Louisiana. It almost always consists of meat or seafood, usually fried, served on baguette-like Louisiana French bread.
The French bread that has come to be the key ingredient in any Po-Boy is what differentiates the Po-Boys from other submarine sandwiches. Typically, the French bread comes in two-foot-long "sticks". Standard sandwich sizes might be a half Po-Boy, about six inches long and a full Po-Boy, at about a foot long.
A "dressed" Po-Boy has lettuce, tomato and mayonnaise; pickles and onion are optional. Non-seafood Po-Boys usually have Mustard, but the customer is expected to specify whether he or she wants "hot" or "regular"—the former being a coarse-grained Creole mustard and the latter being American yellow mustard. Some restaurants use shredded green cabbage rather than lettuce for their dressed Po-Boy.
New Orleans is a one-of-a-kind place filled with good music, exotic food, and colorful architecture. Let the 7 winners/restaurants from the best Po-Boys tasting event in the 2010 New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival be 7 more reasons why your next trip should be to New Orleans.
The 2010 New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival winners are:
Best of Show: G.W. Fins – Fried lobster po-boy
Best Pork Po-Boy: Grand Isle Restaurant – Boucherie po-boy
Best Specialty Seafood Po-Boy: Grand Isle Restaurant – Smoked fish po-boy
Best Roast Beef Po-Boy: Sammy's Deli on Elysian Fields – Garlic stuffed roast beef po-boy
Best Specialty Non-Seafood Po-Boy: Sammy's Deli on Elysian Fields – Fried chicken and Chisesi ham po-boy
Best Shrimp Po-Boy: Redfish Grill – Grilled shrimp with blackened avocado po-boy
People's Choice Award: Coquette Restaurant – Homemade hot sausage po-boy.
Please share with chocolatecity.cc Blog audience your favorite type of Po-Boy with the name of the restaurant that prepares it!
LIKE ChocolateCity.cc Facebook and follow us @burnedbrass on Twitter! Know something we don't? E-mail us and share at admin{at}chocolatecity.cc
Related posts:
- Chris Paul Honors Contract and Stays with New Orleans Hornets New Orleans Hornets Chris Paul Earlier this month, New Orleans...
- New Orleans, Chocolate City, Elects Landrieu, a White Mayor New Orleans Mayor Mitch LandrieuNew Orleans' former Mayor Ray Nagin's...
- New Orleans Council Takes Proactive Financial Recovery Strategies New Orleans Council Takes Proactive Financial Recovery StrategiesThis blog does...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Interesting to know the background to the ‘Po Boy!
I made some tonight (with scallops), but didn’t know the history.
Here’s my latest recipe if you’re interested in checking it out:
Scallop ‘Po Boy with Spicy Mayo
http://wp.me/puWta-8Z
I will say though that the thought of a ‘Po Boy festival sounds like a pretty great idea.