National Cheesesteak Day

The story

The cheesesteak is a long roll filled with thinly sliced beef cooked on a griddle and topped with melted cheese, a sandwich that has become a symbol of Philadelphia. According to the city's best-known origin story, hot dog vendor Pat Olivieri grilled some chopped steak for his own lunch in 1930, a cab driver asked for one, and the steak sandwich was born. Olivieri soon opened Pat's King of Steaks in South Philadelphia, which still operates today.

Cheese came later. Many credit a Pat's manager named Joe "Cocky Joe" Lorenza with adding provolone in the 1940s. When Kraft introduced Cheez Whiz in 1952, it quickly became a classic option, and in 1966 Geno's Steaks opened right across the street from Pat's, starting one of the most famous food rivalries in America.

Ordering at the classic stands follows a local shorthand: you name your cheese, Whiz, provolone, or American, then say "wit" or "witout" to ask for fried onions or not. Variations add peppers, mushrooms, pizza sauce, or chicken instead of beef.

On National Cheesesteak Day, grab one from a favorite shop, or cook thin-sliced ribeye with onions at home and pile it into a soft hoagie roll.