Why the same long sandwich goes by thirteen different names across the United States

Food & Drink · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: From the Philadelphia hoagie to the New York hero, the humble submarine sandwich is a linguistic battlefield. While the term sub is the only one used nationally, regional pride has birthed a dozen local monikers, each with its own contested origin story rooted in Italian-American history and local lore.

The submarine sandwich emerged within Italian-American communities in the northeastern United States between the late 19th and mid-20th centuries. While the exact origins are debated, one popular theory credits Dominic Conti, an immigrant who arrived in New York around 1895. He allegedly named his creation after the 1901 Fenian Ram submarine he saw in a New Jersey museum in 1928, though advertisements from 1940 suggest the term was already in use before the United States entered World War II.

Linguistic diversity is perhaps the sandwich's most defining feature. A 1967 survey of 100 American cities identified thirteen distinct names, including torpedo, bomber, and zeppelin. In Philadelphia, the term hoagie dominates, with competing legends attributing it to shipyard workers at Hog Island, the jazz musician Hoagy Carmichael, or even destitute individuals eating scraps 'on the hoke.' Meanwhile, New Englanders often use 'grinder'—a term some claim refers to the hard crust requiring intense chewing, while others link it to slang for dock workers.

The evolution of these names often reflects local social dynamics. In New York, the 'hero' became a staple of pizzeria menus as owners sought to elevate their status beyond mere pizza-making. In Boston, the rare 'spukie' likely derives from the Italian word spuccadella, meaning a long roll. Today, while global chains like Subway have standardized the term 'sub,' these regional labels persist as markers of local identity, preserved by long-standing delis and neighborhood shops that continue to serve the classic combination of meats, cheeses, and vegetables on an elongated roll.

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