The Maine Italian sandwich, or Italian, is a submarine sandwich in Italian-American cuisine. The Maine Italian sandwich was invented in Portland, Maine.

Preparation

The Maine Italian sandwich is prepared using a long bread roll or bun with meats such as ham along with American or provolone cheese, tomato, onion, green bell pepper, sliced dill pickles, Greek olives, olive oil or salad oil, salt and cracked black pepper. It is popular throughout Maine.

Veggie and Vegan Italians

Veggie Italians are made with American or provolone cheese, tomato, onion, green bell pepper, sliced dill pickles, and olives. Sometimes lettuce is added to Veggie Italians. Vegan Italians are made with vegan cheese, vegan ham, tomato, onion, green bell pepper, sliced dill pickles, and olives.

History

Giovanni Amato, a grocer in Portland, Maine, claims to have invented the "Italian sandwich" in 1902. While selling bread on his street cart, Amato received requests from dockworkers to slice his long bread rolls and add sliced meat, cheese and vegetables to them. Amato later opened a sandwich shop named Amato's, and today the sandwich continues to be prepared by Amato's sandwich shops. The Amato's version is traditionally prepared using fresh-baked bread, ham, American cheese, slices of tomato, onions, green pepper and sour pickle, Kalamata olives and salad oil. Many other Italian corner markets in Portland sold Italians. In the 1960s, Portland reportedly had an Italian sandwich shop "every couple of blocks." In the 1970s and 1980s, Italian sandwich shops added Veggie versions of the sandwich without the ham. Monte's Fine Food in Portland was the first Italian shop to add a vegan Italian to the menu in 2019.