What’s a Po’ Boy to Do?

The city of New Orleans has a lot of incredible food, but if there is one dish that feeds the Crescent City it has to be the Po’ Boy sandwich.  The Po’ Boy sandwich also travels further than the rest of New Orleans’ world-famous cuisine and can be commonly found all over the United States–especially in the south.  Amanda and I tracked down some great Po’ Boys in Gulfport, Mississippi and Baton Rouge, Louisiana with fillings that included fried shrimp, fresh baked ham, and deer sausage!

The Po Boy sandwich has long been the standard New Orleans working person’s lunch.  The Po’ Boy is believed to have gotten its start during the New Orleans transit strike of the 1929’s when a local restaurant owner and former transit worker began serving French bread sandwiches to the “poor boy” streetcar workers who were on strike.

The name stuck and so did the sandwich.  “Poor Boy” was quickly shortened to “Po’ Boy,” by the New Orleans vernacular and the sandwich became an everyday staple for a cheap, quick, and satisfying New Orleans lunch.  Today in New Orleans, Po’ Boy sandwiches are so popular they can be found in nearly every corner store, seafood joint, casual restaurant, bar, and even at gas stations!

A Po’ Boy is served on soft and crusty Louisiana French bread and dressed with mayonnaise, lettuce, and tomato, and non-seafood Po Boy’s are also dressed with spicy Creole mustard.  After that, anything goes!  Roast beef or ham with gravy, fried shrimp or oysters, catfish, turkey, hamburger, and alligator are only some of the delicious items that can fill a Po’ Boy.

Our first Po’ Boy lunch was in Gulfport, Mississippi just outside of New Orleans.  We shared this sandwich of breaded and deep-fried gulf shrimp that were all nestled into their dressed-up load of French bread.  These shrimps were sweet, briny, and had a just-caught fresh flavor.  After eating this Po’ Boy it was apparent that the use of fresh, quality bread and ingredients can elevate a lowly Po’ Boy sandwich into something great!

We discovered more outstanding Po’ Boy ingredients in the city of Baton Rouge, Louisiana at a Po’ Boy restaurant called Lloyd’s  where they serve an excellent deer sausage Po’ Boy.  Game meat is an important part of Louisiana’s cooking and hunting culture and the deer sausage at Lloyd’s is made by the owner’s hunter-friend.  This sausage was rich and flavorful with a very subtle gamy flavor and a fragrant hint of dried herbs.

Also at Lloyd’s Amanda had an Italian Po’ Boy that was stacked with salami and ham.  The ham on her Po’ Boy was high quality and baked in-house.  It was served in thick slices that were juicy, tender, and flavorful without being overly salty.  With the addition of the classic Po’ Boy condiments, this Po’ Boy was a rich and refreshing sandwich to remember.

Po’ Boys are a tasty and winning format for presenting a wide array of quality ingredients.  Whether stacked with fried fresh seafood, cured meats or otherwise, with the right bread and condiments, it would be a challenge to make a bad Po’ Boy.  And with the far reach of Po’ Boy culture, many people  should not have to travel far to eat the sandwich that is synonymous with New Orleans!