A Dagwood sandwich is a tall, multilayered sandwich made with a variety of , , and . It is named after Dagwood Bumstead, a central character in the comic strip Blondie, who is frequently illustrated making enormous sandwiches. According to Blondie scripter Dean Young, his father, Chic Young, began drawing the huge sandwiches in the comic strip in 1936.
Ingredients
Though the exact contents of Chic Young's illustrated Dagwood sandwich remain obscure, it appears to contain large quantities and varieties of
, sliced cheese, and vegetables separated by additional slices of bread. A whole small fish, presumably a sardine, is usually visible. An olive pierced by a toothpick or wooden
skewer usually crowns the edible structure. "Dagwood sandwich" has been included in
Webster's New World Dictionary, and "Dagwood" (referring to the sandwich) has been included in the
American Heritage Dictionary.
[ The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 2000.]
Products and restaurants
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In 1951, businessmen Bob Weiler and Art Lang opened a Dagwood-themed restaurant in Toledo, Ohio, with hopes of establishing a national chain. They had not licensed the Dagwood name and were ordered to stop using it by King Features.
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A Dagwood Diner (spelled "Dag-Wood") operated in Ann Arbor, Michigan, until 1971.
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Assorted lunch meats featuring Dagwood have been sold at grocery stores. In May 1999, a counter-service restaurant named Blondie's opened at Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure, serving a traditional Dagwood-style sandwich. Blondie's bills itself as "Home of the Dagwood Sandwich." The exterior displays a 20-foot plastic Dagwood sandwich over the entrance.
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Denny's offered their breakfast Dagwood in the early 2000s;
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Dagwood's Sandwich Shoppes, a Blondie-themed restaurant chain founded in 2006, had franchise locations open in Florida, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, and Georgia that have all closed as of 2011.
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Cincinnati-based chain Penn Station East Coast Subs refers to its "create-it-yourself" submarine sandwich as a Dagwood. A customer may include up to five meats, and any combination of available condiments and vegetables.
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Dagwoods are also a popular sandwich in takeaway (fast-food) restaurants and roadhouses, both in small street-side stands and larger chains. A South African Dagwood is usually made with three slices of toasted bread with a hamburger patty (or two), along with lettuce, tomato, and a fried egg. Other common accoutrements may be added and the beef patty may be replaced by savory Ground beef reminiscent of an American sloppy joe, but it seems to be the fried egg and double-decker nature of the sandwich that characterizes a South African Dagwood.
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In 2008, Man v. Food host Adam Richman visited Columbus, Ohio, and partook in the Ohio Deli and Restaurant's Dagwood Challenge. The challenge was to eat a 2-1⁄2-pound Dagwood sandwich, plus a full pound of French fries, within 30 minutes. Richman successfully ate the sandwich and fries in 20 of the 30 minutes and was awarded a commemorative T-shirt.
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Dagwood's Deli and Sub Shop opened in Indiana in 1985, now serving several locations.
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Dagwoods Sandwichs et Salades is a fast-food chain operating in Canada. It was founded in 1989 in Montreal but subsequently expanded throughout Quebec and into Eastern Ontario.
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Canadian supermarket chain Sobeys sells an in-store made Dagwood sandwich. However, this version does not look like the multi-layered sandwiches from the comic; instead, it resembles a thick Submarine sandwich.
See also
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Caspar Milquetoast
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Dream of the Rarebit Fiend
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Jiggs dinner
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List of American sandwiches
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List of sandwiches
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Sandwich loaf, a type of party food made from a whole loaf of bread
External links
