The Maine-style “Italian” sandwich doesn’t always get a ton of respect, primarily, it seems, because there is very little about it that has anything to do with Italy. In fact, an investigation into the sandwich’s history reveals that referring to these sandwiches as “Italians” may have less to do with the ingredients, and may simply be a reference to the nationality of the inventor. In 1902, in his tiny bakery on Portland’s working waterfront, Giovanni Amato allowed local dockworkers to talk him into splitting his bread loaves lengthwise, then piling them with meat, cheese, and vegetables. The resulting sandwich, which today typically includes a thin layer of boiled ham, sliced American cheese, sliced tomatoes, green pepper, onion, olives (black or kalamata), and a finish of oil, salt, and pepper, is one of the last true “regional” food specialties. Travel South of Kittery, and you’ll continue to see lots of sandwiches for sale at gas stations. You’ll find lots of hoagies, grinders, subs, and heroes. But you’ll be hard-pressed to find a real Italian.

Throughout Maine, to order a “Ham Italian” would be redundant; the ham is implied (the best ham always is), and included automatically, unless you were to specifically request a “Turkey Italian” or a “Roast Beef Italian.” This can get confusing in some shops, where ordering a sandwich made with a combination of meats using this naming convention would require you to (somewhat awkwardly) ask for a “Italian Cold Cut Combo Italian,” which will almost certainly baffle the person you are talking to.

After eating hundreds of versions of this sandwich (not to mention naming my favorites in Portland), I knew it was finally time to work on my own version. I’m sure most of you realize how fraught with peril such an idea is; Mainers are protective of their Italians, and too much mucking around with the ingredients would make the resulting product a perfectly good sandwich, but not a tried-and-true Maine Italian.

I’m serious. You should see how much hate mail I continue to receive for suggesting that our readers put sausage in their American Chop Suey. I had to find a way to tweak the original, without changing what the sandwich fundamentally is.

Here’s what I’ve come up with, broken down by ingredients:

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