Spiedie
Encyclopedia
The spiedie is a dish local to Greater Binghamton
in the Southern Tier
of New York
State, and somewhat more broadly known and enjoyed throughout Central New York
state.
Spiedie consists of cubes of chicken, pork, lamb, veal, venison or beef. The meat cubes are marinated overnight or longer (sometimes for as long as two weeks under a controlled environment) in a special marinade, then grilled on spits (if steel skewers are used, they are called "spiedie rods") over a charcoal pit.
The traditional method involves serving freshly prepared cubes of lamb, chicken, or beef on soft Italian bread (almost always made by Felix Roma, Endicott and Dirienzo Brothers, Binghamton) skewer
and all, and sometimes drizzled with fresh marinade. However, it is frequently common to find them served on a submarine
roll, and chicken is now the meat of choice due to cost. The bread is used as an oven glove to grip the meat while the skewer is removed. Spiedie meat cubes can also be eaten straight off the skewer or can be served in salads, stir fries, and a number of other dishes. The marinade recipe varies, usually involving olive oil, vinegar, and a variety of Italian spices and fresh mint.
Spiedie has been celebrated at the Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally in Binghamton, New York
, every August, since 1983. The annual event includes a spiedie cook-off in search of the best spiedie recipes. The spiedie and the Spiedie Fest were featured on an episode of The Food Network's
"Unwrapped
".
Commercial marinades are available regionally and can be ordered from various internet websites for shipment throughout the world.
The regional dish in Abruzzo
, Italy most closely resembling spiedie uses goat meat, lamb, chicken or beef on a skewer, and is known as spidducc. Another regional dish from Sicily
, zúzzu, consists of a gelatinous sausage made from the cartilage of pork and beef meat that is usually served cut into cubes.
Origins (1939 - 1950)
Two men – Agostino "Augie" Iacovelli and Peter Sharak – are credited with the creation of the spiedie.
Iacovelli, from Endicott, New York
, began serving spiedie sandwiches in 1939 when he opened Augie's, his first restaurant. He emigrated from Abruzzo
, Italy
(Civitella Casanova) at the age of 25 in 1923. His son Guido continued in the spiedie business into the 1990s, owning as many as 26 restaurants at the peak of his career.
Iacovelli's marinade, which he called Zuzu, originally was made simply from wine vinegar, water, lemon juice, garlic and mint. Italian spices, olive oil and minced onion were added later as regional tastes and the choice of meat began to vary.
Sharak is also supposed to have invented spiedies. Apparently, patrons of Sharkey’s Bar and Grill were served lamb straight from the grill on its metal skewer with slices of bread. At the original Sharkey's on Glenwood Avenue the spiedies are preceded, accompanied and followed by copious quantities of beer. Sharkey's promotes itself as the birthplace of the sandwich in television commercials across the greater Binghamton area.
Though the issue is disputed, Sharkey’s began serving spiedies in 1947, which makes Iacovelli more likely to have invented the dish first.
Growth of Popularity (1950-1990)
Through the 1960s, and 1970s, spiedies also became popular with the families of deer hunters since venison has a strong game quality and is similar to lamb. Many local families made their own marinade and enjoyed the wild game as a delicacy of back yard grills.
In 1975, Rob Salamida became the first person to bottle the sauce and sell it. He began by cooking spiedies outside a local tavern at 16. After writing letters for over a year the New York State Fair allowed him to have his own booth at the Syracuse Fairgrounds.
For 12 years he built his reputation at the fair. After a tornado nearly struck his stand in 1975, he decided it would be more lucrative and safer to bottle a spiedie marinade. Today, Salamida's Original State Fair Spiedie Sauce is the highest selling spiedie marinade.
Through the 1980s Danny "Moonbeam" (a local flat-track dirt motorcycle racing star) furthered the popularity of spiedies by selling them from porches of local bars at night in order to finance his motorcycle racing hobby. Lori Vesely featured spiedies straight off the grill at The Endwell Pub. Pork was especially good for long-grilling time making the bar-spiedie a favorite of both staff and customers.
In 1983 a few families got together and held a spiediefest that was a tremendous hit. Coupled with a Balloon Rally it quickly grew to an annual 100,000 person festival (and also one of the top balloon rallies in the country).
There are many restaurants in the Southern Tier that specialize in spiedies: Brooks' House of Bar-B-Que, Lupo's Char Pit, Sharkey's Restaurant, Spiedie and Rib Pit, Lupo's S & S Grill, and Poncho's Pit are some of the more well known. Spiedies are also featured by several vendors at the annual New York State Fair in Syracuse NY.
In Atlanta, Georgia, Dantanna's near Lenox Square Mall and The Spiedie Grill are listed.
While Shish Kabobs are often referenced when describing spiedies to those who've never had them, spiedies are not the same and attempts to list such products with the spiedie name is quickly rejected by those who know and love spiedies.
The Angry Dog (Deep Ellum - Dallas) also serves spiedies, specifically referring to them as 'Binghamton, NY - style Spiedies'
Greater Binghamton
The Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area, also called Greater Binghamton, is a region of southern upstate New York in the Northeastern United States, anchored by the city of Binghamton...
in the Southern Tier
Southern Tier
The Southern Tier is a geographical term that refers to the counties of New York State west of the Catskill Mountains along the northern border of Pennsylvania. It is a loosely defined term that generally includes the counties that border Pennsylvania west of Delaware County inclusive...
of New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
State, and somewhat more broadly known and enjoyed throughout Central New York
Central New York
Central New York is a term used to broadly describe the central region of New York State, roughly including the following counties and cities:...
state.
Spiedie consists of cubes of chicken, pork, lamb, veal, venison or beef. The meat cubes are marinated overnight or longer (sometimes for as long as two weeks under a controlled environment) in a special marinade, then grilled on spits (if steel skewers are used, they are called "spiedie rods") over a charcoal pit.
The traditional method involves serving freshly prepared cubes of lamb, chicken, or beef on soft Italian bread (almost always made by Felix Roma, Endicott and Dirienzo Brothers, Binghamton) skewer
Skewer
A skewer is a thin metal or wood stick used to hold pieces of food together. They are used while grilling or roasting meats, and in other culinary applications....
and all, and sometimes drizzled with fresh marinade. However, it is frequently common to find them served on a submarine
Submarine sandwich
A submarine sandwich, also known as a sub among other names, is a sandwich that consists of a long roll of Italian or French bread, split lengthwise either into two pieces or opened in a "V" on one side, and filled with various varieties of meat, cheese, vegetables, seasonings, and sauces. The...
roll, and chicken is now the meat of choice due to cost. The bread is used as an oven glove to grip the meat while the skewer is removed. Spiedie meat cubes can also be eaten straight off the skewer or can be served in salads, stir fries, and a number of other dishes. The marinade recipe varies, usually involving olive oil, vinegar, and a variety of Italian spices and fresh mint.
Spiedie has been celebrated at the Spiedie Fest and Balloon Rally in Binghamton, New York
Binghamton, New York
Binghamton is a city in the Southern Tier of New York in the United States. It is near the Pennsylvania border, in a bowl-shaped valley at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers...
, every August, since 1983. The annual event includes a spiedie cook-off in search of the best spiedie recipes. The spiedie and the Spiedie Fest were featured on an episode of The Food Network's
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
"Unwrapped
Unwrapped
Unwrapped is an American television program on Food Network that reveals the origins of foods. It first aired in June 2001 and is hosted by Marc Summers. The show leads viewers on tours of factories and other food-related locations. Popular subjects include candy, breakfast cereal, snacks, and TV...
".
Commercial marinades are available regionally and can be ordered from various internet websites for shipment throughout the world.
Etymology
The term "spiedie" comes from the Italian spiedo meaning spit or spiedini referring to cubes or balls of meat cooked on a skewer.The regional dish in Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
, Italy most closely resembling spiedie uses goat meat, lamb, chicken or beef on a skewer, and is known as spidducc. Another regional dish from Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
, zúzzu, consists of a gelatinous sausage made from the cartilage of pork and beef meat that is usually served cut into cubes.
History
The original idea for spiedie was brought by Italian immigrants to Upstate New York in the early 1920s. The specific origin of the spiedie is disputed. Traditionally the early Broome County spiedie was made only from spring lamb, but currently most commercial restaurants prepare spiedie using chicken or pork. The "chicken category" was added to the Spiedie Fest cook-off in 1987, and quickly became the most popular meat choice.Origins (1939 - 1950)
Two men – Agostino "Augie" Iacovelli and Peter Sharak – are credited with the creation of the spiedie.
Iacovelli, from Endicott, New York
Endicott, New York
Endicott is a village in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 13,038 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Binghamton Metropolitan Statistical Area. The village is named after Henry B...
, began serving spiedie sandwiches in 1939 when he opened Augie's, his first restaurant. He emigrated from Abruzzo
Abruzzo
Abruzzo is a region in Italy, its western border lying less than due east of Rome. Abruzzo borders the region of Marche to the north, Lazio to the west and south-west, Molise to the south-east, and the Adriatic Sea to the east...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
(Civitella Casanova) at the age of 25 in 1923. His son Guido continued in the spiedie business into the 1990s, owning as many as 26 restaurants at the peak of his career.
Iacovelli's marinade, which he called Zuzu, originally was made simply from wine vinegar, water, lemon juice, garlic and mint. Italian spices, olive oil and minced onion were added later as regional tastes and the choice of meat began to vary.
Sharak is also supposed to have invented spiedies. Apparently, patrons of Sharkey’s Bar and Grill were served lamb straight from the grill on its metal skewer with slices of bread. At the original Sharkey's on Glenwood Avenue the spiedies are preceded, accompanied and followed by copious quantities of beer. Sharkey's promotes itself as the birthplace of the sandwich in television commercials across the greater Binghamton area.
Though the issue is disputed, Sharkey’s began serving spiedies in 1947, which makes Iacovelli more likely to have invented the dish first.
Growth of Popularity (1950-1990)
Through the 1960s, and 1970s, spiedies also became popular with the families of deer hunters since venison has a strong game quality and is similar to lamb. Many local families made their own marinade and enjoyed the wild game as a delicacy of back yard grills.
In 1975, Rob Salamida became the first person to bottle the sauce and sell it. He began by cooking spiedies outside a local tavern at 16. After writing letters for over a year the New York State Fair allowed him to have his own booth at the Syracuse Fairgrounds.
For 12 years he built his reputation at the fair. After a tornado nearly struck his stand in 1975, he decided it would be more lucrative and safer to bottle a spiedie marinade. Today, Salamida's Original State Fair Spiedie Sauce is the highest selling spiedie marinade.
Through the 1980s Danny "Moonbeam" (a local flat-track dirt motorcycle racing star) furthered the popularity of spiedies by selling them from porches of local bars at night in order to finance his motorcycle racing hobby. Lori Vesely featured spiedies straight off the grill at The Endwell Pub. Pork was especially good for long-grilling time making the bar-spiedie a favorite of both staff and customers.
In 1983 a few families got together and held a spiediefest that was a tremendous hit. Coupled with a Balloon Rally it quickly grew to an annual 100,000 person festival (and also one of the top balloon rallies in the country).
Availability in the United States
One of the restaurants most famous for spiedies today, Lupo's Char-Pit, was established in 1967 by John, Sam, and Bart Lupo in Endwell, New York. Spiedies became a primary component of their menu in the 1980s as they often win the cook-off competition at the annual Spiedie Fest.There are many restaurants in the Southern Tier that specialize in spiedies: Brooks' House of Bar-B-Que, Lupo's Char Pit, Sharkey's Restaurant, Spiedie and Rib Pit, Lupo's S & S Grill, and Poncho's Pit are some of the more well known. Spiedies are also featured by several vendors at the annual New York State Fair in Syracuse NY.
In Atlanta, Georgia, Dantanna's near Lenox Square Mall and The Spiedie Grill are listed.
While Shish Kabobs are often referenced when describing spiedies to those who've never had them, spiedies are not the same and attempts to list such products with the spiedie name is quickly rejected by those who know and love spiedies.
The Angry Dog (Deep Ellum - Dallas) also serves spiedies, specifically referring to them as 'Binghamton, NY - style Spiedies'