Po'boy - (Louisiana True) by Burke Bischoff (Paperback)

About the Book

"Po'boys are a mainstay of New Orleans food culture, appearing in endless variety on the menus of countless Crescent City eateries, some of them exclusively dedicated to the po'boy. Po'Boy tells the story of how a humble sandwich became a symbol of New Orleans culture, history, and cuisine. From the po'boy's ingredients to its origin story (and its many origin myths) to the ways that people of different cultures have put their own spin on it, Burke Bischoff takes the reader on a journey through history to understand what makes a po'boy a po'boy. Invented to help feed a crowd of out-of-work individuals in New Orleans' public service industry, the po'boy has been and continues to be the people's sandwich. Originally called "poor boys," and likely to be spelled differently on the menus of every restaurant that carries them, the po'boy is a submarine-like sandwich served on French bread. Its fixings are as widely variable as its spelling, though some common fillings include fried seafood, roast beef and gravy ("debris"), and hot sausage. As immigrant populations have moved through and into New Orleans, many of them have made the po'boy their own, most notably the Vietnamese immigrant communities that brought bâanh mái to the Crescent City. Rich with historical detail and filled with the voices of the culinary professionals who serve po'boys in New Orleans and beyond, Po'Boy welcomes readers into the world of the city's most iconic sandwich"--

Book Synopsis

Po'Boy tells the story of how a humble sandwich became a symbol of New Orleans culture, history, and cuisine. Invented to help feed a crowd of out-of-work individuals in New Orleans's streetcar industry, the po'boy is a submarine-like sandwich served on French bread, with common fillings that include fried seafood, roast beef and gravy ("debris"), and hot sausage. Rich with historical detail, Po'Boy welcomes readers into the world of the city's most iconic sandwich.

Review Quotes

"As a fan of culinary history, I recommend Burke Bischoff's book in which he describes, in detail, New Orleans's legendary poor boy sandwiches. My mouth was watering while reading the book. I have great memories of enjoying gravy-drenched beef poor boys and piping hot, crispy fried-oyster poor boys (my personal favorites) when I lived in New Orleans."--Marcelle Bienvenu, coauthor of Stir the Pot: The History of Cajun Cuisine

"Perfect subject matter! Ain't many topics as near and dear to me as sandwiches, and few things soothe my soul like a dressed shrimp or oyster po'boy with some hot sauce and a cold beer on a sunny day in New Orleans!"--Chef Mason Hereford, coauthor of Turkey and the Wolf: Flavor Trippin' in New Orleans

"Who knew that so much delicious history could be contained in a single sandwich? Burke Bischoff's deep dive into New Orleans's ubiquitous poor boy loaf examines the working man's sandwich from all angles: the history, the ingredients, and that most vital element, the poor boy bread. Any lover of New Orleans food will find much delight between these pages."--Poppy Tooker, author of Louisiana Eats! The People, the Food, and Their Stories

"With this book we discover that each bite of the beloved New Orleans sandwich is a bite of local history."--Peggy Scott Laborde, coauthor of Lost Restaurants of New Orleans

About the Author

Burke Bischoff, a lifelong resident of New Orleans's West Bank, is a journalist and former executive editor at Where Y'at magazine. A graduate of Loyola University in New Orleans, he also worked as an associate producer at WYES-TV.