Beef on weck

Beef on weck

A traditional beef on weck
Origin
Alternative name(s)	Beef on wick
Place of origin	United States
Region or state	Western New York
Details
Course served	Main
Main ingredient(s)	Kummelweck roll, sliced roast beef, horseradish, au jus

A beef on weck (also known as beef on wick) is a sandwich found primarily in Western New York. It is made with roast beef on a kummelweck roll. The meat on the sandwich is traditionally served rare, thin cut, with the top bun getting a dip au jus and topped with horseradish.

The kummelweck roll gives the sandwich its name and a distinctive taste. A kummelweck (sometimes spelled "kimmelweck" or "kümmelweck") is topped with kosher salt and caraway seeds. Kümmel is the German word for caraway, and weck means "roll" in the south-western German dialects of the Baden and Swabia areas (northern Germans generally say Brötchen), although the kind of weck used for this sandwich in America tends to be much softer and fluffier than a standard German Kümmelbrötchen or Kümmelweck. In Austria, a similar type of small white-bread is known as Kümmelweckerl (diminutive from Wecken, which refers to a whole big bread, i.e. Brotwecken).

Origin

The origin and history of the beef on weck sandwich is not well established. It is believed that a German baker named William Wahr, who is thought to have immigrated from the Black Forest region of Germany, created the kummelweck roll while living in Buffalo, New York. Wahr may have based the kummelweck roll on a special loaf left as a ceremonial offering for the dead known in Swabia as Schwäbische Seele, which is a thin roll resembling a baguette that is topped with salt and caraway seeds.

A local pub owner is said to have used the roll to create the beef on weck, with the thought that the salty top of the roll would make his patrons purchase more drinks.

Preparation

A typical beef on weck is made from slow-roasted rare roast beef that is hand-carved in thin slices, served on a kummelweck roll. The cut face of the top half of the roll may be dipped in the jus from the roast. Prepared horseradish is usually provided for the diner to spread to taste on the top half of the roll.

Popularity

The beef on weck has long been popular regionally, and has gained a following in other areas of the United States where it has been introduced. Expatriates from Western New York have taken the dish and brought it to other areas after relocating. It has also been featured by chefs on cooking shows including the PBS special Sandwiches That You Will Like. Bobby Flay, Anthony Bourdain and other chefs have featured the beef on weck, or a variant, on their television programs.

The American restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings was started by former residents of the Western New York area and the original name of the restaurant was "Buffalo Wild Wings and Weck", abbreviated as "BW3", the third W referring to weck. The chain no longer serves beef on weck outside of the Western New York area and no longer uses the original name, but some still refer to the company with the extra "W" in its abbreviation.

The Daily Meal reviewed the beef on weck as "roast beef sandwich that dreams are made of" in their article "12 Life-Changing Sandwiches You've Never Heard Of".

See also

• French dip sandwich
• Italian beef
• List of sandwiches
• List of American sandwiches
• List of regional dishes of the United States