St. Paul sandwich
Encyclopedia
The St. Paul sandwich is a type of sandwich
found in Chinese American
restaurants in St. Louis
, Missouri
. The sandwich consists of an egg foo young
patty (made with Mung bean sprouts and minced white onions) served with dill pickle
slices, white onion
, mayonnaise
, lettuce
, and tomato
between two slices of white
bread
.
, when Chinese restaurants, desperate to attract the American public to try their cuisine, invented the sandwich to appeal to their palates. According to local legend, the St. Paul Sandwich was invented by Steven Yuen at Park Chop Suey in Lafayette Square
, a neighborhood near downtown St. Louis
; Yuen named the sandwich after his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota
.
restaurant, Chinese Wok Express on Broadway, in Columbia
, Missouri
. It can also be found at Yen's Chinese Food restaurant in Springfield, Missouri. This sandwich was featured in the PBS
documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like
in 2003. You can also pick up a vegetarian option at the Blue Door in St. Paul, MN. Royal China in Winfield, Missouri also carries the sandwich randomly as a daily special.
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food item, typically consisting of two or more slices of :bread with one or more fillings between them, or one slice of bread with a topping or toppings, commonly called an open sandwich. Sandwiches are a widely popular type of lunch food, typically taken to work or school, or...
found in Chinese American
American Chinese cuisine
American Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by many Chinese restaurants in the United States. This type of cooking typically caters to Western tastes, and differs significantly from the original Chinese cuisine.-History:...
restaurants in St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. The sandwich consists of an egg foo young
Egg foo young
Egg foo young is an omelette dish found in Chinese Indonesian, British and Chinese American Cuisine.The name comes from the Cantonese language. Egg foo young is derived from Fu Yung Egg Slices, an authentic Chinese recipe from Shanghai.- Preparation :...
patty (made with Mung bean sprouts and minced white onions) served with dill pickle
Pickled cucumber
A pickled cucumber is a cucumber that has been pickled in a brine, vinegar, or other solution and left to ferment for a period of time, by either immersing the cucumbers in an acidic solution or through souring by lacto-fermentation.-Gherkin:A gherkin is not only...
slices, white onion
White onion
White onion is a type of dry onion that has a pure white skin and a sweet, mild white flesh.This onion is used in Mexican foods or complementing the flavors of other ingredients....
, mayonnaise
Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise, , often abbreviated as mayo, is a sauce. It is a stable emulsion of oil, egg yolk and either vinegar or lemon juice, with many options for embellishment with other herbs and spices. Lecithin in the egg yolk is the emulsifier. Mayonnaise varies in color but is often white, cream, or pale...
, lettuce
Lettuce
Lettuce is a temperate annual or biennial plant of the daisy family Asteraceae. It is most often grown as a leaf vegetable. It is eaten either raw, notably in salads, sandwiches, hamburgers, tacos, and many other dishes, or cooked, as in Chinese cuisine in which the stem becomes just as important...
, and tomato
Tomato
The word "tomato" may refer to the plant or the edible, typically red, fruit which it bears. Originating in South America, the tomato was spread around the world following the Spanish colonization of the Americas, and its many varieties are now widely grown, often in greenhouses in cooler...
between two slices of white
White bread
White bread is made from wheat flour from which the bran and the germ have been removed through a process known as milling. Milling gives white flour a longer shelf life by removing the bran which contains oil, allowing products made with it, like white bread, the ability to survive storage and...
bread
Bread
Bread is a staple food prepared by cooking a dough of flour and water and often additional ingredients. Doughs are usually baked, but in some cuisines breads are steamed , fried , or baked on an unoiled frying pan . It may be leavened or unleavened...
.
Origin
One source has the origin of the St. Paul sandwich dating as far back as the early 1940s1940s
File:1940s decade montage.png|Above title bar: events which happened during World War II : From left to right: Troops in an LCVP landing craft approaching "Omaha" Beach on "D-Day"; Adolf Hitler visits Paris, soon after the Battle of France; The Holocaust occurred during the war as Nazi Germany...
, when Chinese restaurants, desperate to attract the American public to try their cuisine, invented the sandwich to appeal to their palates. According to local legend, the St. Paul Sandwich was invented by Steven Yuen at Park Chop Suey in Lafayette Square
Lafayette Square, St. Louis
Lafayette Square is a neighborhood in St. Louis, Missouri that is bounded on the north by Chouteau Avenue, on the south by Interstate 44, on the east by Truman Parkway and on the west by South Jefferson Avenue. It surrounds Lafayette Park, which is the city's oldest public park, created by...
, a neighborhood near downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis
Downtown St. Louis is the central business district of St. Louis, Missouri, the hub of tourism and entertainment, and the anchor of the St. Louis metropolitan area. The downtown is bounded by Cole Street to the north, the river front to the east, Chouteau Avenue to the south, and Jefferson Avenue...
; Yuen named the sandwich after his hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
.
Variations
According to one source, the phrase "St. Paul sandwich" has meant multiple things over the past sixty years. Originally, the St. Paul sandwich was known to contain four pieces of white bread with chicken and egg stuffed inside; later it was just egg and hamburger on a bun.Availability
It is usually only available in Chinese restaurants in the St. Louis metropolitan area, as well as at least one Chinese AmericanAmerican Chinese cuisine
American Chinese cuisine refers to the style of food served by many Chinese restaurants in the United States. This type of cooking typically caters to Western tastes, and differs significantly from the original Chinese cuisine.-History:...
restaurant, Chinese Wok Express on Broadway, in Columbia
Columbia, Missouri
Columbia is the fifth-largest city in Missouri, and the largest city in Mid-Missouri. With a population of 108,500 as of the 2010 Census, it is the principal municipality of the Columbia Metropolitan Area, a region of 164,283 residents. The city serves as the county seat of Boone County and as the...
, Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. It can also be found at Yen's Chinese Food restaurant in Springfield, Missouri. This sandwich was featured in the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
documentary Sandwiches That You Will Like
Sandwiches That You Will Like
Sandwiches That You Will Like is a 2002 PBS documentary by Rick Sebak of WQED. The unique sandwich offerings of cities across the United States are shown, from those that are often found outside of their city of origin to the...
in 2003. You can also pick up a vegetarian option at the Blue Door in St. Paul, MN. Royal China in Winfield, Missouri also carries the sandwich randomly as a daily special.