Philly Cheesesteak

Cheesesteaken

Also: Philadelphia cheesesteak, steak sandwich, cheese steak

A Philadelphia sandwich of thinly shaved griddled beef with melted cheese piled into a long soft hoagie roll.

Identity criteria

1Thinly shaved ribeye (or sandwich steak) griddled on a flat-top
2Melted cheese — Cheez Whiz, American, or provolone — folded into the meat
3Served in a long, soft Italian hoagie roll, traditionally Amoroso's
4Cheese and meat combined hot off the griddle, not layered cold
5Optionally with grilled onions; the order language 'wit / witout' refers to onions

Base

long soft hoagie rollessentialAmoroso's-style Italian roll is the Philadelphia standard

Protein

thinly shaved ribeye beefessentialSliced paper-thin so it cooks fast on the griddle

Aromatics

grilled onionsoptionalOrdered 'wit' onions or 'witout'

Fat

melted cheese (Cheez Whiz, American, or provolone)essentialThe defining 'cheese' in cheesesteak

oil for the griddleessential

Garnish

fried peppers or mushroomsoptional

Flat-top griddling of shaved beef: High, even heat sears thin beef fast while it is chopped, giving the signature texture
Melting cheese into the meat: Folding cheese in on the griddle binds the sandwich and makes it gooey rather than dry

savouryrichbeefyumami

tender chopped beef and gooey cheese in a soft roll

A Philadelphia everyday classic eaten at corner shops, sports venues, and the famous rival stands of South Philly.

year-round

Cheez Whiz → provolone or Americanadmissible
All three are canonical Philadelphia cheese choices
thinly shaved ribeye → thick steak slicesinadmissible
Thick-cut meat loses the chopped griddle texture that defines a cheesesteak
hoagie roll → crusty baguetteinadmissible
A too-hard roll fights the soft filling and breaks the form

Invented in South Philadelphia in the 1930s, commonly credited to Pat Olivieri, and now an icon of Philadelphia identity.

Confidence: high