A Submarine sandwich, also known as a sub, grinder, hoagie, Italian sandwich, po'boy, and other various local names is a sandwich made using a 6, 9 or 12 inch roll split into two long pieces or opened into a "V" on one side.
Today you don't see the "V" often - the major chains - Subway, Quiznos, SUBMARINA do not do the "V" cut (although I remember Subway did do the "V" cut almost exclusively about ten years ago). Some of the mom-n-pop sub shops still do the "V" cut. If you desire, request a "V" cut for a different presentation.
The sub sandwich is filled with various meats, cheeses, vegetables, spices and sauces. The submarine sandwich has no generic name and the terms submarine and sub are in common usage throughout the United States in addition to regional names.
We'll save a discussion of SUBMARINA's sub ingredients (meats, cheeses, etc.) for a later post.
The sub sandwich originated in different Italian American areas in the Northeastern US about the late 19th century. By the mid 20th century, the subs popularity spread from Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Massachussetts to the rest of the country.