This storefront across from the N.T.
police station has often been occupied by
exceptional “wedge-makers” (those who
produce that sandwich known more often
elsewhere as a submarine). Presently hosting
the “J & G Italian Deli,” the business
name has indeed changed over the years.
During the last century, “Jerry’s Deli” was
the tenant that probably had the finest
wedge-reputation at this address. Jerry’s
is remembered for what I would call a
“Dagwood” wedge: it was so long, & the
lunchmeat & cheese slices were stacked so
high, you needed two hands to hold it! But
this Jerry’s mustn’t be confused with “Uncle
Jerry’s,” a popular delicatessen at the two
spots it occupied in succession (both
on North Broadway).
These were the ingredients of our basic
20th-century combo wedge (placed inside a
foot-long loaf of French or Italian bread,
sliced lengthwise; and then sometimes, cut
in two): Italian spiced ham, Genoa salami,
white cheese (best when provolone), and a
ripe tomato–all thinly-sliced–often minus
any lettuce; and some outfits added spicy
peppers and/or a third meat, usually
identified as mortadella. (Actually, as we
read earlier, while examining #44 on the
other side of Beekman Ave., Italian mortadella could not legally be imported
into the U.S.–starting in 1967–through
2000.) If dressed with mayonnaise, a wedge
would ideally sit on the counter awhile, so
that all those ingredients might commingle.
Otherwise, a combination of olive oil, vinegar,
and salt & pepper would often be applied
as a dressing.
But why did we call the subma-
rine sandwich a wedge? Only we
natives of the first few counties north
of New York City usually spoke of a
wedge. Some claim that this name was
an outgrowth of the diagonal cut some
deli workers like to use when cutting
a foot-long sandwich into two pieces.
Others claim that it refers rather to that
wedge-shape of bread, sometimes missing
from the top half of the sandwich bread,
as some delis cut this out (to make more
room for toppings). For those who prefer to
let “Occam’s razor” be their guide (believing
that the simplest explanation is usually
the correct one), wedge is simply an
abbreviated form of sandwich.
It would seem that one of the elderly
owners of “Landi’s” (a Yonkers, N.Y., deli),
who otherwise spoke in Italian, found it
too tedious to say both syllables of
sandwich all day long. So she started
leaving off the first syllable; thus, a
new term widg had been coined!
