Tavern sandwich

A tavern sandwich is a sandwich commonly consumed in the Midwest region of the United States, originally consisting of unseasoned ground beef on a bun, mixed with sauteed onions, and sometimes topped with pickles, ketchup and mustard. The tavern has a number of different names. Two of the most often used are loosemeat and Maid-Rite. The sandwich was created in 1934 by Abraham Kaled at Ye Olde Tavern Sandwich Shop in Sioux City, Iowa. [cite book| last =Mariani| first =John F.| title =Encyclopedia of American Food and Drink| publisher =Lebhar-Friedman| date =1999| location =New York| pages =297| isbn =0867307846 ]

Similar to a hamburger, despite the consistency of the meat, or a sloppy joe, without the tomato soup, the tavern is served throughout the Midwest, but specifically in the state of Iowa. In the later seasons of the 1988-1997 American sitcom "Roseanne", Roseanne Connor (Roseanne Barr) co-owns a restaurant called the Lunchbox in fictional Lanford, Illinois, specializing in loose-meat sandwiches. The sandwich is well known throughout the state, and is served not only at the local "Tastee-in-and-Outs", but also at fast food restaurants like Dairy Queen and Dairy Dandy. The Wichita, Kansas-based chain Nu-Way Cafe also serves a version of the tavern/loosemeat sandwich simply called a "Nu-Way".

Note: Maid-Rite began selling their version of the Loose Meat sandwich in 1926, 8 years before the Tavern Sandwich was created as cited in this article, the actual sandwich itself predates the name Tavern Sandwich. In Northern Illinois this sandwich is also known as a Loose Hamburger Sandwich. Another interesting point of note is that Maid Rite actually steams the ground hamburger, it was also rumored that they use Pepsi cola (or Dr. Pepper) during steaming to add flavor but this has not been confirmed.

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