At the Flaming Fish food truck, one of our more popular items is our Shrimp Po’ Boy. But what exactly is a Po’ Boy? And where did it come from? It’s time for a trip to school to learn about this amazing and tasty dish!
What is a Po’ Boy?
A Po’ Boy is a traditional sandwich from Louisiana. Our Po’ Boy consists of fried shrimp, but can also include meat, like roast beef, or other types of seafood, like crawfish, oysters and crab. This sandwich is served on a baguette-like French bread. The bread is thin with a crisp crust and a soft, light interior. Extra- long loaves can measure 32 inches and sandwiches can come in full length, half, quarter and shorties (less than a quarter). Our Po’ Boys are dressed with lettuce, tomato and a blend of shredded cheeses, but the toppings are limitless depending on the type of po’ boy you are making.
Where did it come from?
There are many stories to how the Po’ Boy came about. A popular theory has to do with a four month strike against a street car company. Benny and Clovis Martin were former streetcar conductors who owned a restaurant in New Orleans. In 1922, the brothers quit their jobs as streetcar conductors and opened a coffee shop in the French Market. In 1929, 1800 unionized streetcar drivers and motormen left their jobs and protested in the streets. After months of protesting and no pay, the Martin Brothers vowed to serve the protesters free of charge. They made the sandwich and began serving it to the protesters. The Martins’ restaurant workers jokingly referred to the strikers as “poor boys,” and soon the sandwich took on the same. Because of the Louisiana dialect, the name was shortened to Po’ Boy. When one of the strikers entered their shop, the call went out: “Here comes anther po’ boy!”