Dishes · A classic of Creole and Cajun · New Orleans
Po'boy
A long New Orleans loaf — crackly crust, feather-light inside — filled with fried prawns or oysters, or roast beef in gravy.
What makes it po'boy
- Light, crisp New Orleans French bread.
- Fried seafood, or roast beef with its gravy and debris.
- Dressed: lettuce, tomato, pickle, mayonnaise, and hot sauce on the table.
Where it comes from
The story most often told is that during a streetcar strike in 1929, two brothers who ran a sandwich shop, and who had worked the streetcars themselves, fed the striking men for free — the poor boys. There were sandwiches on French bread before, but that's when the name stuck.
The bread matters as much as the filling: New Orleans loaves have a thin, shattering crust and a very airy crumb. Ordered dressed, it comes with lettuce, tomato, pickles and mayonnaise.
How it varies
- Fried shrimp or oyster
- Cornmeal-fried, the classic seafood versions.
- Roast beef debris
- Slow-cooked beef and the gravy with the shreds from the bottom of the pan.
- Peacemaker
- Half oyster, half shrimp — said to be what a man brought home after a late night.
Be the first here
Start your own po'boyNo one here has made po'boy yet. Start it as v1, and every version after is an experiment the next cook can learn from.
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